Department for Transport

M1

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when the roadworks on the M1 between junctions 15 and 19 will be completed.

Andrew Jones: The planned completion for the work to install a rigid concrete barrier is 7 September 2015.

M1

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the cost to the public purse is of the roadworks taking place on the M1 between junctions 15 and 19.

Andrew Jones: The planned expenditure for this phase of works is £62.5 million. Actual costs can only be determined once the works are completed and final accounts calculated. The M1 J19 to 15 is replacing the existing steel barrier with a new concrete barrier. This includes removal of the existing steel central reserve barrier and all the existing lighting columns as these are no longer required. We have also undertaken a number of maintenance repairs to bridge piers that sit within the central reserve negating the need for any follow on scheme to carry these out. These works will have a significant reduction in the future maintenance needs for the central reserve as well as assisting in the preparation for the M1 J19-16 Smart Motorway All Lane Running (SM ALR) project that is currently in development.

A483

Ian C. Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when he last discussed the progress of the A483 upgrade with Highways England; and what the outcome of that discussion was.

Andrew Jones: There have been no discussions on the A483 upgrade. Progress on the A55/A483 pinch point scheme was discussed with Highways England in February 2015. The outcome of the discussion was that the completion date for the scheme would be rescheduled to 10 May 2015, as set out in the answer of 2 March (UIN 225319). The scheme completion date has since been rescheduled to 28 June 2015.

A55: A483

Ian C. Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what representations he has received from local (a) authorities and (b) businesses on delays to the A55/A483 upgrade project.

Andrew Jones: The Secretary of State has not received representations.

A55: A483

Ian C. Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will make an estimate of the cost of the delays to the A55/A483 upgrade project to (a) the public purse and (b) businesses within 10 miles of the project.

Andrew Jones: An accurate estimate of the costs can only be determined when the scheme is completed and the final accounts calculated.

A55: A483

Ian C. Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions he has had about the economic effect of the delays to the A55/A483 upgrade project on the area with (a) the Chancellor of the Exchequer and (b) the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills.

Andrew Jones: I and my Ministerial colleagues have regular discussions with HM Treasury and Department for Business, Innovation and Skills Ministers, though there has been no specific discussion on this issue.

A55: A483

Ian C. Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he is satisfied with the quality of the information that his Department has given to motorists during the A55/A483 upgrade project.

Andrew Jones: I am satisfied that Highways England has provided information of the appropriate quality for motorists. Prior to construction work starting, a public exhibition was held on 5 September 2014, with a further public exhibition on 11 December 2014. Throughout the project, other information has been provided for motorists via: · Local radio messages, live radio interviews advising motorists to use alternative routes; · On-site visitor centre; · Temporary roadside signs; · Portable electronic message signs on the M56 Motorway just before the junction with the M53 (the M53 continues as the A55); · Press releases and Twitter feed updates.

A483

Ian C. Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the Answer of 25 February 2015 to Question 225319, for what reasons the A483 upgrade project missed its extended deadline.

Andrew Jones: Highways England has rescheduled the scheme completion date to 28 June 2015 after further problems were uncovered during the strengthening works to the western bridge which required revised designs and approvals which had subsequent impacts on the available work areas resulting in an overall programme delay.

First Transpennine Express

Jonathan Reynolds: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what progress has been made on electrification of the TransPennine rail line; and what the likely completion date is.

Andrew Jones: Network Rail has been developing the scheme to electrify the route between Manchester and York since 2011. Network Rail has recently concluded that more work will be needed than previously planned. This is in order to accommodate the expected growth in train services, deliver the significant improvement in journey times needed to generate economic growth, and provide the best possible performance and capacity on this line. Network Rail has been working with the Department to ensure that this work will be planned as efficiently as possible, and we cannot clarify the completion date until the planning is completed.

Woodhead Tunnel

Jonathan Reynolds: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent assessment he has made of the condition of the Woodhead Tunnels and their suitability for potential transport use in future; and if he will make a statement.

Claire Perry: The previous Government announced on 5 November 2013 that it would not be purchasing the Victorian rail tunnels at Woodhead on the former Manchester to Sheffield line from National Grid in order to instigate an inspection and maintenance regime on those tunnels. That decision, taken following consultation with 40 local MPs, statutory bodies, and Network Rail reflected the following key considerations: · The Government has committed funding to the Northern Hub programme. This includes schemes to increase capacity and line speeds on the Hope Valley route between Manchester and Sheffield. · A study carried out by Network Rail had indicated that demand for travel between Manchester and Sheffield could more than double in thirty years. With the planned investment, the Hope Valley line and its trains could accommodate this growth. If freight grows, schemes have also been identified which could enable more freight trains to run. · The Victorian tunnels were not in a good condition and would have required on-going funding to keep them in a condition necessary for possible re-use. These costs would have fallen on the taxpayer or meant less money for other vital rail investment in the north. · If an additional rail route were required between Manchester and Sheffield, it is unlikely that even the modern tunnel at Woodhead would be suitable for re-use and, given advances in tunnelling technology as witnessed by Crossrail, the best solution would most likely be the construction of a new tunnel.

Oil Rigs

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many accidents have been reported during the transportation of workers to North Sea oil rigs in each of the last five years.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The Air Accident Investigation Branch has recorded four accidents during the transportation of workers to North Sea oil rigs in each of the last five years. They are as follows:2011Acidents: 1Aircraft Registration: G-IACCFinal Report: https://assets.digital.cabinet-office.gov.uk/media/5422f8d9ed915d13740006f9/Sikorsky_S-92A__G-IACC_09-11.pdf 2012Accidents:2Aircraft Registration:G-REDW & G-CHCNFinal Report: https://assets.digital.cabinet-office.gov.uk/media/5422fbaaed915d1374000833/2-2014_G-REDW_and_G-CHCN.pdf 2013Accidents:1Aircraft Registration: G-WNSBFinal Report: Work Ongoing

Trains: Vandalism

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many incidences of criminal damage have been reported on trains in the UK in each of the last five years.

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will estimate the cost of criminal damage on trains in the UK in each of the last five years.

Claire Perry: The Department for Transport does not collect this information in relation to train services operating in Great Britain. This information may be held by the British Transport Police and individual train operating companies. Information in relation to train services operating in Northern Ireland is a matter for the Northern Ireland Executive.

Large Goods Vehicles

Dr Eilidh Whiteford: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will make it his policy to introduce HGV overtaking restrictions on two-lane motorways and on some A-roads to reduce light vehicle journey times; and if he will make a statement.

Andrew Jones: There are no current plans to place overtaking restrictions on Heavy Goods Vehicles (HGVs) on motorways and trunk roads, beyond their current prohibition from the outside lane of any motorway with three or more lanes. Such restrictions could delay journeys and lead to increased operating costs which could be passed on to consumers. In addition, the possibility of nose to tail convoys of HGVs in the nearside lane could cause difficulty for drivers wishing to join or leave the motorway. All drivers should know and apply the rules contained in The Highway Code, which includes advice and rules to drivers on overtaking and lane discipline. However, in very specific locations where there have been congestion problems caused by lorries overtaking on uphill sections of the strategic road network, restrictions have been put in place by Highways England. These restrictions have only been kept in place where clear evidence shows overall journey time improvements. If the Hon Member is concerned more specifically about the situation on roads in Scotland, she should contact Transport Scotland who have a similar power in Scotland to ban overtaking on specific sections of road. In addition, we have recently increased the national speed limit for HGVs of more than 7.5 tonnes on dual carriageway roads in England and Wales from 50mph to 60mph. This may help to assist with light vehicle journey times when HGV drivers do choose to overtake on dual carriageways. This change only applies to England and Wales so if the Hon Member is concerned more specifically about the situation on roads in Scotland, she should discuss this with the Scottish Government.

Rolling Stock: North of England

Mr Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what his Department's policy is on replacing pacer trains on rail services in the north of England.

Andrew Jones: All Pacer vehicles on the Northern franchise will be withdrawn by 2020 due to incompatibility of the Pacer vehicles with the vision for economic growth and prosperity in the north as per announcement by the Secretary of State in February 2015.

Roads: Cumbria

Sue Hayman: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what investment in road infrastructure there has been in (a) Workington constituency and (b) Allerdale district in each year since 2005.

Andrew Jones: Highways England (formerly the Highways Agency) is responsible for the Strategic Road Network and Cumbria County Council for the local road network within the Workington constituency and Allerdale district. The A595 Parton to Lillyhall improvement was the one major project that Highways England were responsible for in the wider Allerdale district since 2005. The spend profile since 2005/06 is shown below: Year2005/062006/072007/082008/092009/102010/11TotalSpend (£m)0.954.78514.61620.5340.5960.53942.642 Highways England spent the following amounts on maintenance and improvements:  Allerdale District  Workington Constituency Financial Year£ million  Financial Year£ million2005/20060.917  2005/20060.0502006/20072.123  2006/20070.0552007/20082.536  2007/20080.0042008/20091.917  2008/20090.0162009/20102.151  2009/20100.2462010/20111.365  2010/20110.2102011/20120.484  2011/20120.0102012/20131.476  2012/20130.0002013/20142.553  2013/20140.0522014/20151.597  2014/20150.070 The Department for Transport provides funding to local highway authorities for the local road network. For Cumbria County Council the allocations since 2005 are as follows:Year£ million2005/0615.8162006/0717.3782007/0818.6912008/0919.8012009/1026.4782010/1158.272011/1249.1972012/1334.7722013/1447.6162014/1540.6662015/1636.708  Cumbria have also been allocated £24.6 million through the Local Growth Fund announced in July 2014 and January 2015 for transport schemes including £2m towards replacement of a life expired road bridge that provides access to the Port of Workington.

Bus Services: Cumbria

Sue Hayman: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to improve the provision of local bus services in Cumbria.

Andrew Jones: The Government remains committed to improving bus services for all and expenditure on buses reflects this. It is for individual local authorities to determine how much of the block grant funding they receive is allocated to supporting bus services. The latest out-turn figures, for 2013/14, show that Cumbria County Council has an annual budget of over £2.5m for this purpose. The Department also provides direct support to bus services each year through Bus Service Operators Grant (BSOG), of which Cumbria County Council has received £480,314 covering the 2014/15 financial year.

Roads: Cumbria

Sue Hayman: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many road accidents occurred on the (a) A66 between Workington and Keswick, (b) A595 and (c) A596 in each of the last 10 years; and how many of those accidents resulted in fatalities.

Andrew Jones: The table below gives the total number of reported personal injury road accidents, total number of reported fatal accidents and total number of reported fatalities for the (a) A66 between the junction with the A596 in Workington and the roundabout junction with the A591 north of Keswick, (b) A595 and (c) A596 for each year from 2004 to 2013.   YearRoadTotal reported accidentsOf which fatal accidentsFatalities2004A6654002005A6660232006A6651112007A6651222008A6643002009A6637112010A6642462011A6638112012A6630222013A6641002004A595180662005A595141562006A595156572007A595140332008A595113372009A595118222010A595110682011A59594332012A595106442013A59596222004A59654232005A59651002006A59659002007A59660112008A59650332009A59649112010A59630002011A59635112012A59653112013A5963224 Statistics for 2014 will be available from 25 June.

Railways: Freight

Sue Hayman: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to encourage more rail freight through the Port of Workington.

Andrew Jones: Government supports the transfer of freight from road to rail where it is practical, economic and environmentally sustainable to do so. In January 2015 the Cumbria Local Enterprise Partnership was provisionally awarded £6m to improve access to the Port of Workington as part of its expanded Growth Deal. Access and capacity for freight trains will be improved by the construction of a new rail crossover and a replacement road over rail bridge will be constructed with a larger span to cater for additional rail sidings, should these be required in the future.

Railway Stations: Workington

Sue Hayman: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what representations he has received on the reopening of Workington North station.

Andrew Jones: The Department for Transport has no record of any recent representation on this matter.

Rotherham Station

Sarah Champion: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether, when approving the request from Northern Rail to reduce the opening hours of the ticket office at Rotherham Central Station (a) he took into account numbers of passengers who sought information, help and use of the waiting room or toilet, (b) assumptions about patronage increase generated by the proposed tram train and (c) any other factors other than ticket sales per half hour period.

Sarah Champion: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he took to fulfil the terms of clause 9.2 of the Franchise Side Agreement with passenger transport executives (PTEs) in receipt of consultation with affected PTEs on plans for reduced opening hours of ticket offices by Northern Rail.

Andrew Jones: This proposal was developed by Northern Rail as part of a package of efficiency savings to reduce cost to the taxpayer. As a consultee, the Secretary of State considered whether the proposals met the criteria for a Minor Change under the Ticketing and Settlement Agreement. (a) These factors are not routinely recorded. (b) A new franchise will be let prior to the tram-train services commencing. It would be for the future operator to consider amending ticket office hours or station procedures as passenger demand increases. (c) Consideration was given to possible detriment to station security or cleanliness. Following the redevelopment of Rotherham Central in 2012, CCTV cameras are in place there. These are monitored remotely by Northern Rail and by South Yorkshire PTE. Northern was advised, in October 2014, that they should seek buy-in from major stakeholders – including the PTEs – to highlight and remove any weaknesses in their proposals. The criteria for a Minor Change were satisfied. Therefore, as the Secretary of State had no discretion in relation to the decision there was no opportunity for any effective consultation.

Department for Transport: Public Expenditure

Lilian Greenwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the statement by HM Treasury of 4 June 2015, if he will publish a map of the land to be sold in the vicinity of King's Cross station; how he intends to achieve the other £200 million of savings expected from his Department in 2015-16; and from which cost headings such savings will be made.

Claire Perry: A map of the land to be sold in the vicinity of Kings Cross station is attached. The £200 million of other savings to be made in 2015-16 are as follows: £124 million from reduced contingency;£31 million reduction in grant to Transport for London;£23 million from Cycling Cities Ambition budget;£16 million from Regional Air Connectivity fund;£5 million from the Stations Commercial Projects Facility;£1 million from Sheffield Tram-Train project. The return of expected 2015-16 underspends on these projects does not mean that they have been cancelled. 



1260 - Map of Kings Cross
(PDF Document, 263.05 KB)

Rolling Stock: Procurement

Lilian Greenwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 2 June 2015 to Question 395, what the maximum permitted line speed of the bi-modal IEP train in regular service will be when that train is running on (a) diesel and (b) electric power.

Claire Perry: The current maximum permitted line speed of a bi-modal IEP train in regular service when running on (a) diesel and (b) electric power is 125 miles per hour.

High Speed 2 Railway Line

Lilian Greenwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of whether (a) delivering the Leeds to Sheffield section of High Speed 2's eastern leg earlier than currently planned would require a separate hybrid bill to be presented to the House and (b) such plans would involve the construction of connections to the East Coast Main Line and the Midland Main Line.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The Government is considering the responses to the consultation on the route from the West Midlands to Manchester, Leeds and beyond including how to bring the benefits to the North as quickly as possible. It will set out how it plans to take forward HS2 Phase Two later this year.

Department for Communities and Local Government

Agriculture: Land

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, if he will bring forward plans to strengthen the protection of best and most versatile agricultural land in national planning policy.

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, if he will take steps to strengthen policies relating to food-growing in the National Planning Policy Framework to identify the importance of local food-growing opportunities and the affordability of, and access to, suitable land and associated housing for food-growing.

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, if he will instruct officials in his Department to discuss with their counterparts in the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs the feasibility of monitoring the loss to development of best and most versatile soil.

Brandon Lewis: The use of best and most versatile farmland is for local planning authorities to lead through their Local Plans. This enables local communities to be consulted and to decide where development should go, and what local food-growing opportunities should be taken forward. The National Planning Policy Framework sets out the importance for local planning authorities of taking account of the benefits of the best and most versatile farmland in preparing their Local Plans, including consideration of access to affordable, sustainable and healthy food. Local planning authorities must consult Natural England before permitting non-agricultural development on significant areas of such land if this is outside the Local Plan.

Council Housing

Emma Reynolds: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what the value of council homes in the most expensive third of all properties of their type in their area is by number of bedrooms in each English region.

Emma Reynolds: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what the value of council homes classified by his Department as high value is by number of bedrooms in each English region.

Brandon Lewis: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave her on 8 June, PQ 1079.

Communities and Local Government: Public Expenditure

Emma Reynolds: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, with reference to the statement by HM Treasury of 4 June 2015, how he intends to achieve the £230 million savings expected from his Department in 2015-16.

Mr Mark Francois: The Department for Communities and Local Government has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Mexico: Human Rights

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent assessment his Department has made of human rights in Mexico.

Mr Hugo Swire: The Government attaches great importance to the support of human rights around the world, in Mexico, as elsewhere. We share longstanding and serious concerns with the international community about reports of human rights violations and impunity in Mexico. We encourage efforts by the Mexican government to strengthen processes and mechanisms to prevent human rights violations and ensure that those responsible for violations are brought to justice. Indeed, the Prime Minister, my right hon. Friend the Member for Witney (Mr Cameron), discussed human rights with President Peña Nieto during his State Visit to the UK in March this year. Through a programme of visits, meetings and discussions with representatives of the Mexican government, human rights defenders, non-governmental organisations and international partners, we hope these efforts will build respect for fundamental human rights and strengthen rule of law in Mexico. We continue to support human rights organisations on the ground and share UK experience of tackling the challenges Mexico faces. We are currently focusing on the treatment of torture and enforced disappearance by judges, and are in the process of selecting projects to address security and justice concerns which will complement this work.

Mexico: Smuggling

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions his Department has had with the government of Mexico on drug trafficking.

Mr Hugo Swire: The UK is committed to regular dialogue on a range of issues of mutual interest with the Mexican government as part of our positive bilateral relationship.While we assess that Mexico does not pose a direct threat to the UK as a source country or transit route for narcotics, our Embassy works closely with the Mexican government to strengthen its ability to tackle its security challenges and the rule of law.The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend, the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond), discussed counter–narcotics with his Mexican counterpart in February.The Prime Minister, my right hon. Friend, the Member for Witney (Mr Cameron), discussed Mexico's broader security challenges with President Pena Nieto during the latter's State visit to the UK in March.

South Sudan: Armed Conflict

Mr Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what reports he has received on the bombing of a church, school compound and priests' compound in Kauda, South Sudan, on 25 May 2015.

James Duddridge: We are aware of the deeply troubling reports of bombings in Kauda, Sudan on 25 May. The recent escalation of fighting in the Two Areas of Southern Kordofan and Blue Nile is extremely concerning and we will continue to press both the Government of Sudan and the SPLM-North (Sudan People's Liberation Movement - North) for an end to military action.

Falkland Islands

Mr Virendra Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps he plans to take to strengthen economic and political ties with the Falkland Islands.

Mr Hugo Swire: The hon. Member will know that the UK and the Falkland Islands have very strong political and economic ties. On the former, the Islanders expressed their clear desire to remain a British Overseas Territory, voting overwhelmingly to do so in a referendum in 2013. This Government will always defend the right of the Falkland Islanders to determine their own political future, as we also support the Falkland Islands Government’s right to develop the Islands’ economy. As Minister for the Falklands, I worked with my noble Friend, Lord Livingston of Parkhead, the former Minister for Trade and Investment to extend UK Trade & Investment support to businesses from the Islands.

Burma: Political Prisoners

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will take steps to encourage reform of the Prisoners of Conscience Affairs Committee in Burma; and if he will seek the empowerment of that Committee to ensure the release of all political prisoners.

Mr Hugo Swire: We welcome the release of thousands of political prisoners under the current Burmese government. However, we remain concerned by the continued arrests, detentions and sentencing of political activists, with an estimated minimum of 150 remaining behind bars at the end of April 2015, and a further 450 awaiting trial following arrests throughout 2014 and early 2015. We welcomed the announcement in January that a mechanism to review cases of political prisoners would remain in place under the newly constituted Prisoners of Conscience Affairs Committee. We have reinforced with the Burmese authorities that consultation and the involvement of civil society must be part of this process. Officials from our Embassy in Rangoon meet regularly with civil society on this issue, and we continue to raise our concerns with the government of Burma at the highest levels. Most recently, the then Minister of State at the Home Office, Lynne Featherstone, raised this issue directly with Minister for the President’s Office, U Soe Thein, during her visit to Burma in January. We continue to lobby on individual cases. We also raise our concerns publicly in our Annual Report on Human Rights and in multilateral fora such as the UN General Assembly, where the UK co-sponsored a Resolution last year that called for the unconditional release of all political prisoners.

Burma: Human Rights

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will make an assessment of whether human rights violations against the Rohingya in Burma meet the international legal definitions of ethnic cleansing and crimes against humanity.

Mr Hugo Swire: International legal definitions are a matter for international tribunals, rather than for governments or non-judicial bodies.

North Korea: EU Aid

Fiona Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what human rights conditions are required of the government of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea for European-funded aid projects in that country; if he will press for greater use of such conditions; and what assessment he has made of the effect of such projects.

Mr Hugo Swire: The EU has worked closely with like-minded partners to ensure momentum is maintained on the human rights situation in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK). This has included sponsoring strong resolutions in both the UN Human Rights Council and the UN General Assembly. While the EU does not maintain a development aid budget with the DPRK, the EU does provide funding for a food nutrition programme targeted at the most vulnerable DPRK citizens with a current average annual value of €6 million.  Like the UK, EU member states also fund a range of bilateral programmes within the DPRK. While a direct impact on human rights is not a condition for EU projects, the impact of projects on the DPRK human rights situation is carefully considered. The UK intends to continue working closely with other EU member states to ensure areas of concern continue to be addressed. The EU is willing to consider engagement with the DPRK government through dialogue when it includes discussion of the human rights situation.

North Korea

Fiona Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what monitoring mechanisms there were of the effect on the people of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea of engagement projects funded by his Department in that country between 2010 and 2015.

Mr Hugo Swire: In line with Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) Strategic and Bilateral Programme Fund guidance, all projects, wherever they are implemented, are subject to regular monitoring and review during implementation and on completion, with high value projects subject to further evaluation. This ensures each project supports wider FCO Programme objectives and foreign policy priorities and delivers outputs in an efficient, effective and sustainable manner. This includes projects implemented in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK), where (in line with FCO project management practices) reporting considers the impact of project outputs, which are managed and delivered by our Embassy in Pyongyang and its implementing partners in the DPRK, and which may also incorporate discussions with DPRK citizens who have participated in, and benefitted from, FCO funded projects.

North Korea: Females

Fiona Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, with reference to his Department's report, Democratic People's Republic of Korea - Country of Concern, published on 12 March 2015, what steps the British Embassy in Pyongyang has taken to challenge widespread sexual abuse and domestic violence against women in that country.

Mr Hugo Swire: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office’s (FCO) report on the human rights situation within the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK), published 12 March, noted that “consistent reports suggest that sexual abuse and domestic violence is common [within the DPRK]”. During the DPRK’s 2014 Universal Periodic Review (UPR) of human rights at the UN in Geneva, the DPRK accepted 185 recommendations including several relating to women’s rights. Our officials recently met DPRK diplomats to discuss the progress the DPRK had made on implementing the accepted UPR recommendations and to request further information on steps the DPRK government was taking to address the recommendations.

Gaza and Hong Kong: Visits Abroad

Mr Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of whether hon. Members and Peers will be allowed to visit (a) Gaza and (b) Hong Kong; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: Entry and exit from Gaza is difficult and can, at times, be impossible. Entry is through either Israel, with permission from the Israeli authorities, or Egypt, with permission from the Egyptian authorities (although this border has been closed almost entirely since October 2014). Members and Peers should be aware that at this time the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) advises against all travel to Gaza. We do not make representations on behalf of British Nationals, including parliamentarians, wishing to travel.The Government has repeatedly made clear to the Chinese and Hong Kong Governments that the decision to refuse to allow the members of the previous Foreign Affairs Committee to enter Hong Kong in December 2014 was wholly unjustified and counter-productive. The Minister of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Office, my right hon. Friend the Member for East Devon (Mr Swire) visited Hong Kong on 8 January and met the President of the Legislative Council and a wide range of legislators, which was particularly important given their key role in the constitutional reform process. In addition, FCO officials have regular contacts with the Hong Kong Government. It is the Government’s assessment that British Parliamentarians can visit Hong Kong.

European Commission: British Nationality

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how many UK nationals were (a) permanent officials and (b) temporary agents on the staff of the European Commission (i) in each of the last 10 years and (ii) on the latest date for which figures are available.

Mr Philip Hammond: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office: Staff

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how many full-time equivalent staff in his Department are currently working on renegotiating the UK's relationship with the EU.

Mr Philip Hammond: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office: Staff

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how many full-time equivalent staff were employed at the UK Permanent Representation to the EU (a) in each of the last 10 years and (b) on the latest date for which figures are available.

Mr Philip Hammond: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Northern Ireland Office

Welfare State: Northern Ireland

Ian Paisley: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what assessment she has made of progress in implementing welfare reform in Northern Ireland.

Mrs Theresa Villiers: The failure to implement welfare reform jeopardises the entire Stormont House Agreement and could have a seriously damaging impact on front-line public services in Northern Ireland.I continue to meet the Northern Ireland political parties regularly to seek a way forward and to urge them to press ahead with implementing all aspects of the Stormont House Agreement.

Cerberus Capital Management: Northern Ireland

Dr Alasdair McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what assessment she has made of the operations of the Cerebrus investment fund in Northern Ireland since April 2014.

Mrs Theresa Villiers: I have discussed the operations of Cerberus on a number of occasions including with Government and Executive Ministers.It is important that Cerberus lives up to its commitment to be a good partner for Northern Ireland.

Attorney General

FIFA: Corruption

Paul Flynn: To ask the Attorney General, what assessment he has made of the recent report by the US Department of Justice containing indictments against several senior football officials for corruption, bribery and racketeering in the British Overseas Territories of British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands and the Turks and Caicos Islands; and what discussions he has had with (a) the Secretary of State for Justice and (b) the Serious Fraud Office about potential prosecution of people named in that report.

Robert Buckland: The Serious Fraud Office has been following closely the emerging allegations and holds material which it is actively reviewing. I meet the Director and other Ministers frequently to discuss a variety of issues. However, as was the case with previous Administrations, it is not the Government’s policy to provide details of all such meetings.

Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, if he will make an assessment of the working paper by Jeronim Capaldo on the Trans-Atlantic Trade and Investment Partnership, entitled European Disintegration, Unemployment and Instability.

Anna Soubry: The Government has serious reservations about this paper. It is based on a model that was not built to assess trade policy. It does not directly model trade flows or the gains from trade.

Apprentices: Coventry

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what estimate his Department has made of the number of apprenticeship starts in Coventry for people aged (a) 16 to 24 and (b) aged 25 and older in each of the last five years.

Nick Boles: Information on the number of apprenticeship starts by geography and age is published in the FE Data Library (first link) as a supplementary table (second link) to a Statistical First Release (SFR):   https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/fe-data-library-apprenticeships   https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/422358/apprenticeships-starts-by-geography-level-and-age.xls

Apprentices: Coventry

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what estimate his Department has made of the proportion of total apprenticeship starts in Coventry begun by women in each of the last five years.

Nick Boles: Table 1 shows apprenticeship starts in Coventry Local Education Authority by gender and academic year.   Table 1: Apprenticeship starts in Coventry Local Education Authority by Gender, 2009/10 to 2013/14 YearFemale% FemaleMale% MaleTotal2009/101,01056%81044%1,8202010/111,69056%1,46046%3,1502011/121,94056%1,86049%3,8002012/132,02056%1,64045%3,6502013/141,56056%1,39047%2,940 Notes: 1) Volumes are rounded to the nearest ten. 2) Local Education Authority is based upon the home postcode of the learner. 3) These figures are based on the geographic boundaries of regions as of May 2010.

Scottish Power

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, if he will begin an investigation into the liability of ScottishPower and the alleged mis-selling of cashback warranties.

Anna Soubry: Information was received in July 2014 from the liquidators of two companies involved in administering the cashback warranty scheme formerly sold by Scottish Power. This information has been reviewed by the Insolvency Service to determine whether or not any further investigation is warranted using powers available in the Companies Act. The liquidation of the companies involved in the scheme is still under way, and the creditors of those companies will receive reports from the liquidators if they are to be paid further dividends. Investigations conducted under section 447 Companies Act 1985 are confidential; therefore it is not our practice to announce whether or not such an investigation is taking place, or to report on the investigation outside of strict statutory gateways.

Mature Students: Loans

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how much was borrowed by adults in (a) Sheffield, Heeley constituency and (b) England in 24+ advanced learning loans in the last year.

Nick Boles: The Student Loans Company is carrying out an analysis to identify loan payments made in relation to adults in the Sheffield, Heeley constituency. The information will be placed in the Libraries of the House as soon as possible. In relation to part (b) the most recent Student Loans Company report (published on 25th March 2015) on payments made to FE providers on behalf of loans-funded learners shows that during the 2013/14 academic year a total of £115.8m was paid out, and in the first six months of the 2014/15 academic year £65m has been paid. The full report is available through the following link:http://www.slc.co.uk/official-statistics/financial-support-awarded/england-further-education.aspx

Mature Students: Loans

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what estimate he has made of the proportion of money borrowed under 24+ advanced learning loans that will be repaid to the Exchequer.

Nick Boles: The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) models the proportion of loans which we expect will not be repaid - the resource accounting and budgeting charge (RAB charge). The RAB charge is estimated to be 50% of the total loan amount. BIS is collecting data on learners as it emerges and based on this data we regularly review and update the RAB charge estimates.   We publish the RAB charge once a year in the Department’s accounts.

Mature Students: Loans

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what assessment he has made of the effect of 24+ advanced learning loans on participation levels in further education.

Nick Boles: The Government has commissioned a programme of loans evaluation which will be published in due course, once completed.

Employment

Toby Perkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, if he will take steps to promote the completion of full and detailed references by employers for their former employees.

Nick Boles: There is no statutory obligation on an employer to provide a reference; although an employee may have a contractual entitlement to one if their contract of employment contained an express term to this effect. The Government does not think it would be right to intervene to require them to do so. Employers who do provide references are under a duty both to the employee and to prospective employers to take reasonable care in doing so. If evidence did come to light about misleading or inaccurate information - not merely unfavourable or critical of someone’s performance in a previous job - the prospective employee would have the option of taking legal action in the civil courts against the source of that information.

Adult Education

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what representations he has received on changes in availability of adult further education courses in the last 12 months.

Nick Boles: The Department of Business Innovation and Skills receives a wide variety of correspondence on adult further education and Minister engage with a great many stakeholders in the further education sector. Colleges have the freedom and flexibilities to decide what provision to offer from their budget allocations according to local demand from employers and learners. We want to increase the amount of provision driven by demand and have made additional funding of £498 million available in 2015-16 for 24+ Advanced Learning Loans.

ACAS

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of the ACAS early conciliation process.

Nick Boles: Early Conciliation was launched in April 2014 and places a requirement on anyone involved in a workplace dispute who is considering an Employment Tribunal claim to contact Acas first. This gives Acas the chance to encourage the parties to resolve their differences through conciliation without the need for an Employment Tribunal claim to be made. April 2014 – December 2014Acas received just under 61,000 notifications and in around 80% of these both parties have participated in conciliation.16% of cases agreed a formal settlement (COT3) using Acas. About 61% of claims did not result in a tribunal claim being made. Around 23% progressed to a tribunal claim.[1] These figures are in line with expectations set out when the service was introduced. Acas has recently undertaken a survey exploring the effectiveness and impact of Early Conciliation, drawing on the experiences of individuals and employers who were contacted by Acas and offered Early Conciliation. The results of this independent evaluation survey are expected to be published in the summer.[1] Acas Quarterly Reports: Early Conciliation Update 3: April – December 2014

Department for International Development

Yemen

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what programmes her Department is operating (a) in Yemen and (b) to address the implications of the conflict in that country.

Mr Desmond Swayne: DFID programmes in Yemen support the UK’s vision for a more stable, secure and prosperous Yemen by helping to manage crises and tackle the drivers of conflict and poverty. Given the current context, DFID’s principal focus is on meeting the immediate humanitarian needs of millions of Yemeni people. So far the UK has provided £15 million to the 2015 UN Humanitarian Appeal for Yemen (including an additional commitment of £4 million in April 2015). Our contribution is providing life-saving assistance (e.g. medical supplies, water, food and emergency shelter) to those affected by the conflict and treating severe acute malnutrition. We have temporarily suspended or closed other programmes which supported political and economic reform.  More detailed information about all DFID-funded programmes can be found at: http://devtracker.dfid.gov.uk/countries/YE/.

Yemen: Armed Conflict

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what estimate she has made of the number of refugees (a) within and (b) outside Yemen as a result of the ongoing conflict in that country.

Mr Desmond Swayne: The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reports that since 26 March, the start of the most recent hostilities, over 1 million Yemenis have been internally displaced (in addition to an estimated 335,000 internally displaced people prior to March). OCHA anticipates that this number is likely to increase as the conflict continues and data improves. For the same period, the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) reports that over 25,000 people (Yemenis and foreign nationals) have fled to neighbouring countries, mainly to Djibouti and Somalia.

Overseas Aid

Mr Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how much aid her Department provided to the (a) health sector, (b) education sector and (c) other sectors (i) globally and (ii) in Africa in each of the last five years for which figures are available.

Grant Shapps: The table below shows bilateral Official Development Assistance (ODA) disbursed to the (a) health sector, (b) education sector and (c) other sectors (i) globally and (ii) in Africa in each of the last five years by DFID. Details of sector spend for 2014 will be published in Statistics on International Development in the autumn of this year.  £ millionsYearRegionHealthEducationOther 2008 Global£552£223£2,563Africa£227£76£1,009 2009Global£670£460£2,937Africa£294£204£1,230 2010Global£755£406£3,148Africa£309£199£1,317  2011Global£899£573£3,027Africa£354£227£1,335 2012Global£1,017£499£3,054Africa£511£258£1,292 2013Global£1,226£797£3,776Africa£548£316£1,476

India: Overseas Aid

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what information she holds on whether any aid offered from the UK is being used to assist people suffering in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana from extreme heat and drought.

Mr Desmond Swayne: Although we continue to monitor the situation, UK aid is not currently being used to assist people in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana following extreme heat and drought conditions in these states. No request for assistance has been made by the Indian Government.

Developing Countries: Crimes of Violence

Mr Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what aid she is providing to help countries end violence against women and children as part of new country operational plans; and if she will make a statement.

Justine Greening: I am proud of the leadership role that the UK has played on tackling violence against women and children worldwide, and it will continue to be a key priority for my Department. We have increased programmes that tackle violence against women and girls by 63% in the past two years, and now support 103 programmes in 29 countries.

Developing Countries: Family Planning

Robert Flello: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps her Department takes to ensure that UK aid is not provided to coercive family-planning schemes or to organisations that are complicit in such schemes.

Grant Shapps: The UK Government supports the work of various international organisations and agencies to promote informed choice, universal access to sexual and reproductive health and rights and women’s empowerment. All UK support to improve sexual and reproductive health – including for family planning – must be provided in the context of informed choice.

China: Family Planning

Robert Flello: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, pursuant to the Answer of 1 June 2015 to Question 20, whether any UK funding is provided to multinational organisations that assist organisations that are closely involved with China's one-child policy.

Grant Shapps: No organisations the UK funds, who work in China, promote the one-child policy. The UK Government supports the work of various international organisations and agencies to promote informed choice, universal access to sexual and reproductive health and rights and women’s empowerment, including voluntary family planning.

Abortion: Gender Selection

Robert Flello: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, pursuant to the Answer of 1 June 2015 to Question 20, what the evidential basis is for the statement that sex selection is not caused by the availability of abortion services or technologies; whether her Department considers that antenatal scanning equipment facilitates sex-selective abortion; and if she will make a statement.

Grant Shapps: The World Health Organisation document “Preventing gender-biased sex selection. An interagency statement”, available online, includes more information and extensive references on these issues.

Burma: Overseas Aid

Valerie Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what funding her Department provides to religious organisations in Burma for education programmes; and what conditions her Department places on such funding.

Mr Desmond Swayne: DFID supports the Myanmar Education Consortium (MEC) which has the key objective of increasing the number and proportion of children who complete a quality basic education. MEC works with a range of Non-Governmental Organisations, including faith-based organisations, provided that i) the education services are available to members of different religious communities, ii) the project activities supported by MEC do not aim to proselytize or explicitly promote a particular religion and iii) the organisations do not engage in any action that could promote inter-communal tensions and where possible promote inter-communal peace and conflict resolution.

Burma: Education

Valerie Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what assistance her Department has provided to the government of Burma on the drafting of legislative proposals in that country on education reform.

Mr Desmond Swayne: The UK Government has not provided any funding directly to the government of Burma in developing the National Education Law. DFID, together with other international development partners (donors, NGOs etc), has funded technical inputs to the Burmese Ministry of Education’s evidence-based review of the education sector. This review has informed the development of the National Education Law.

Department for Education

Schools: Asbestos

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what additional funding she has provided to schools for the removal of asbestos in the last three years.

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how much her Department will spend to remove asbestos from primary and secondary schools in the next financial year.

Edward Timpson: The department supports the removal of asbestos from schools, where it is safe and appropriate to do so, through its capital funding schemes. We are spending £1.4 billion to improve the condition of the school estate in financial year 2015 to 2016. The majority of this £1.4 billion (over £950 million) goes directly to schools and those responsible for them, and it is for them to decide how to use this funding to address their needs, including to manage and remove asbestos where appropriate. The legal responsibility for managing asbestos in schools rests with local authorities, academy trusts, governing bodies and other duty holders and so we rightly provide them with the flexibility to use their funding to carry out this duty. The remainder of the £1.4 billion goes through the Condition Improvement Fund (CIF), which provides more than £430 million to address the condition needs of academies in small multi-academy trusts and single academy trusts, as well as sixth-form colleges. This includes funding projects that remove asbestos from schools, as well as projects that will encapsulate asbestos, rather than removing it. In addition, where schools are being refurbished or rebuilt by the department as part of the Priority School Building Programmes, through which we will invest around £4bn, the costs of any asbestos management work, including removing it – where that is appropriate – are being met by the department. We do not make a specific allowance for asbestos works in a scheme. This is managed alongside other site risks. We allow 17% of the capital cost of a scheme for these risks and a central contingency is held for exceptional cases. This spending is often incorporated into the wider costs associated with demolition or refurbishment work.

Education Maintenance Allowance

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the effect of the allocation of the education maintenance allowance on participation rates in post-16 education.

Mr Sam Gyimah: The final report of the quantitative evaluation of the Education Maintenance Allowance pilots was published in 2005. It contains an assessment of the impact of the allowance on participation and attainment and is available at: http://dera.ioe.ac.uk/5734/1/RR678.pdf The Education Maintenance Allowance was abolished and replaced by the 16 to 19 Bursary Fund in the 2011/12 academic year

Schools: Standards

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what definition her Department uses of coasting schools.

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many academies are rated (a) outstanding, (b) requiring improvement, (c) inadequate and (d) coasting.

Edward Timpson: The most recent published Ofsted data covering inspections to 31 March can be found at: www.gov.uk/government/statistics/monthly-management-information-ofsteds-school-inspections-outcomes   We will publish our definition of a coasting school for consultation in draft regulations in the summer. This will set out exactly how we propose to define a coasting school. Our definition will focus on data, will reflect performance over time and will capture schools that are failing to support their pupils to fulfil their potential.

Academies: Closures

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what representations she has received on the amount of notice given by academies of their closure.

Edward Timpson: The Secretary of State has not received any representations regarding the content of the requirements about notice of termination of a funding agreement given by academies.

Children: Day Care

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how she plans to increase the supply of childcare.

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what plans she has to increase the rate paid to nurseries for childcare.

Mr Sam Gyimah: We are legislating in the Childcare Bill to provide all three- and four-year-olds of working parents with 30 hours of free childcare. We have already worked to increase the supply of childcare by making available £2 million in start-up grants for people wishing to set up childcare businesses, supporting more schools to provide places, and establishing Childminder Agencies. The expansion of the entitlement provides a further opportunity for existing childcare providers to expand and for new providers to enter the market.   As set out in our Press Notice of 1 June 2015, we have committed to increase the average childcare funding rates paid to providers. In order to inform this and establish the right balance between being fair to providers and delivering value for money to the taxpayer, we will start a review of funding for the entitlement before the summer.

Kids Company: Finance

Ms Harriet Harman: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what discussions she has had with the children's charity Kids Company on the provision of long-term Government funding to that charity.

Edward Timpson: Responsibility for coordinating central government funding to Kids Company was transferred from the Department for Education to the Cabinet Office in April 2013. Details of ministerial meetings will be published in the department’s quarterly returns in due course.

Ministry of Justice

Human Rights

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will consult on a British Bill of Rights before its introduction; if he will publish the terms of reference for such a consultation; and if he will make a statement.

Dominic Raab: The Government was elected with a mandate to reform and modernise the UK human rights framework. The UK has a proud tradition of respect for human rights which long pre-dates the 1998 Human Rights Act. The 1998 Act opened the system to abuse, which has damaged the credibility of human rights. We will bring forward proposals for a British Bill of Rights, which will replace the Human Rights Act. Our Bill will protect fundamental human rights, but also prevent their abuse and restore common sense to the system. We will fully consult on our proposals before introducing legislation.

HM Courts and Tribunals Service

Mr Simon Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, when he expects HM Courts and Tribunals Service to send to the Department for Work and Pensions the Statement of Reasons in respect of the recent appeal, Ref: SC133/14/00156, relating to Ms C Ely; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Shailesh Vara: The First-tier Tribunal - Social Security and Child Support, administered by HM Courts & Tribunals Service hears appeals against Department for Work and Pensions’ (DWP) decisions on a range of benefits. The Tribunal heard the appeal brought by Ms Ely on 27 April. A request for a full statement of reasons was received from the DWP on 15 May. The Tribunal’s Procedure Rules require the statement of reasons to be provided within one month of the request or as soon as practicable thereafter.

Prime Minister

Honours

Paul Flynn: To ask the Prime Minister, what his policy is on reform of the political honours system.

Mr David Cameron: Nominations for honours for political service continue to be considered by the parliamentary and political services honours committee.

Iraq Committee of Inquiry

Mr Roger Godsiff: To ask the Prime Minister, pursuant to the Answer of 4 June 2015 to Question 556 on the Chilcot inquiry, whether he has received any information or updates (a) regarding the inquiry since his statements at Prime Minister's Questions on 21 January 2015 and (b) on the work the inquiry has conducted since February 2015.

Mr David Cameron: I have nothing further to add.

Scotland Office: Junior Ministers

Paul Flynn: To ask the Prime Minister, what criteria he used to select Andrew Dunlop for appointment to the post of Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Scotland.

Mr David Cameron: Andrew Dunlop has served in the Prime Minister’s Office policy unit in two Governments, has wide-ranging experience of government, politics and business, played an important part in the Scottish Independence Referendum and is widely respected across the political divide in Scotland.

Ministry of Defence

Army Reserve: Recruitment

Wes Streeting: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many trained Army Reserve personnel were recruited in each year since May 2010.

Mr Julian Brazier: The majority of recruits joining the Army Reserve are untrained. The following tables are an extract from official statistics published quarterly at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/426880/QPR_Apr2015.pdfThey show the trained strength of the Army Reserve and a break down of the intake to the Army Reserve for 2012-13 onwards. Due to a lack of validated figures prior to 2012 it is not possible to include figures before that period.The number of trained direct entrants into the Army Reserve includes former Regular Service personnel (joining within six years of leaving the Regulars), former Army Reserve personnel who have chosen to rejoin within six years of leaving, as well as other trained intake such those from the University Officer Training Corps.Intake  201320142015 31 March31 March31 March ARMY RESERVE TOTAL3,9602,9605,210To untrained2,8901,5003,240Trained direct entrants1,0701,4601,960 The trained strength of the Army Reserve was 21,030 in April 2015. This is above the target of 19,900.Total Trained Strength  2012201320142014201420152015 1 April1 April1 April1 July1 October1 January1 AprilARMY RESERVE 20,00019,93020,06019,97020,04020,48021,030

Arms Control: USA

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many UK-US authentication workshops have been held since 2000 in the (a) UK and (b) US under the auspices of the 1958 US-UK Mutual Defense Agreement on atomic energy matters; which British experts participated in each such workshop; and what public version reports have been published on each such workshop.

Mr Philip Dunne: No UK-US authentication workshops have been held in the UK since 2000 under the auspices of the 1958 US-UK Mutual Defense Agreement (MDA); two such meetings have been held in the US, one in March 2009 and the other in June 2014. British experts from the Atomic Weapons Establishment (AWE) participated in each workshop but their names are being withheld to protect Personal Information. A summary of the two workshops was recently presented on page 21 and 22 of the Joint US-UK Report on Technical Cooperation for Arms Control that was placed on the US National Nuclear Security Administration website on 12 May 2015. The summary can be found through the following link:http://nnsa.energy.gov/sites/default/files/Joint_USUK_Report_FINAL.PDF

Arms Control: USA

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent assessment he has made of the purposes, progress and funding of the joint UK-US Portal to Monitor Arms Control.

Mr Philip Dunne: The Portal Monitor for Arms Control project is part of an agreed three year programme for arms control verification research, agreed between the Ministry of Defence (MOD) and the Atomic Weapons Establishment (AWE), and as such is subject to quarterly project progress and six monthly programme reviews. The project is proceeding to plan and meeting its objectives.

European Fighter Aircraft

Douglas Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will publish details of the programme to install a Collision Warning System in the Typhoon aircraft.

Mr Philip Dunne: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 27 January 2015, to Question 221410, to the hon. Member for Moray (Mr Robertson).



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Armed Forces: Disciplinary Proceedings

Mrs Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 1 June 2015 to Question 157, on the right of armed forces personnel to make a complaint following their illegal punishment following the receipt of a police caution in the last year and with reference to the contribution of the hon. Member for Broxtowe on 2 February 2015, Official Report, column 64, in which she gave a commitment to place notices in the usual places such as websites and magazines, if he will make a similar commitment; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Lancaster: With reference to my answer of 1 June 2015 to Question 157 consideration is being given to how best to contact the small proportion of affected individuals remaining. I am happy to meet the hon. Member to discuss this issue.

Special Air Service: Training

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps his Department is taking to prevent deaths of SAS personnel during training exercises.

Penny Mordaunt: In line with long-held Government policy, we do not comment on matters to do with UK Special Forces personnel. All military training activity is governed by policies, rules and guidance. These are overseen and continuously reviewed by qualified personnel to ensure that risks are as low as reasonably practical at all times.

Armed Forces Covenant: Wirral South

Alison McGovern: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what organisations in Wirral South constituency have received funding from the Libor fund; and how much each such organisation has received.

Mark Lancaster: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 2 June 2015 to Question 428 to the hon. Member for St Helens North (Conor McGinn).In addition, it is likely that other organisations have benefited from LIBOR funds distributed by other Government Departments. However this information could be provided only at disproportionate cost.



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VJ Day

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what plans there are for commemoration and celebration by the armed forces of the 70th Anniversary of VJ Day.

Mark Lancaster: I refer the hon. Friend to the answer I gave in the House on 8 June 2015 to the hon. Member for Houghton and Sunderland (Bridget Phillipson).



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Ministry of Defence: Families

Mr David Burrowes: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the Prime Minister's press release of 18 August 2014, what steps he is taking to assess the impact of his Department's policies on the family.

Mark Lancaster: Armed Forces families are an integral and valued part of the Armed Forces community. We ask a great deal of our Service personnel and, in return, they deserve to have confidence that their families are appropriately supported.Over the last five years this Government has achieved significant successes in this area; we amended the schools admissions code to allow schools in England to allocate a place in advance of a Service family arriving in the area, and enabled infant schools in England to admit Service children over the class size of 30. In addition, we allocated £20 million in LIBOR money in Financial Year 2014-15 to support childcare infrastructure for Service families.One of the key tools we use to understand how Armed Forces families feel about the policies which affect them is the annual Families Continuous Attitude Survey (FAMCAS) which monitors the views of spouses and civil partners of Service personnel in key welfare areas, including employment, schooling, healthcare and accommodation. The results of the survey are used to help develop and track military personnel policies. In excess of 7,000 people completed the 2014 FAMCAS survey, with the responses showing improvements in areas such as full-time employment rates for spouses which increased from 33% in 2010 to 40% in 2014 and the numbers owning their own home, which increased from 55% to 58% in the same period.In addition to the use of FAMCAS, officials work closely with each Service, the Service Families Federations and Armed Forces charities to understand and respond to family issues. At a senior level, the Families Forum meetings and Service Charities Partnership Board meetings provide regular opportunities for family issues to be raised and monitored with Ministers and the Chief of Defence People.I recognise that there is more we can do to support families, which is why I am determined to drive forward projects such as the New Employment Model which aims to produce a modernised offer that reduces the impact of Service life on individuals and their families.

Iraq: Armed Forces

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the increase will be in armed forces personnel deployed to Iraq to train local forces; and when they will be deployed.

Penny Mordaunt: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Defence (Michael Fallon) to the hon. Member for Stroud (Neil Carmichael) during Defence Questions on 8 June (Official Report, column 889).Deployment timelines will depend on coalition needs but expect that the expansion will be complete in around three months.



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Iraq: Armed Forces

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many Peshmerga personnel have received training and support from UK forces personnel in Iraq.

Penny Mordaunt: Since October 2014 the UK has trained 1,408 Peshmerga and a further 120 are currently undergoing training.

Air Force: Staff

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the target strength of the Royal Air Force is for each of the next five years.

Penny Mordaunt: The target strength of the Royal Air Force for the next five financial years is as follows: RAF Target Strength 2015-162016-172017-182018-192019-20 33,51933,49232,50232,85532,013

Army: Staff

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the target strength of the Army is for each of the next five years.

Penny Mordaunt: Under Army 2020 the size of the Army will be around 82,000. This figure was reaffirmed in the 2015 Conservative manifesto.

Ministry of Defence: Public Expenditure

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what plans he has for (a) withdrawal of capabilities, (b) cancellation of programmes, (c) reduction of personnel and (d) other measures as a result of the £500 million reduction in his Department's budget outlined by the Chancellor of the Exchequer.

Michael Fallon: The £500 million savings and adjustments announced will be found from areas such as reducing running costs including expenditure on consultants, overtime and travel, and re-profiling some equipment and infrastructure spend. The agreement does not impact on manpower numbers, current operations, or the increase in equipment spend to which we are committed.There are no plans to withdraw capability or cancel equipment programmes.

Warships: Staff

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what plans his Department has to reduce the number of crew on Royal Navy warships.

Penny Mordaunt: Ships' complements are not fixed; they vary, even across a class, depending on equipment fits and tasking. In the longer term, advances in technology for our next generations of ships, submarines and aircraft will involve manning level adjustments while maintaining operational capability.

Department for Work and Pensions

Children: Maintenance

Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what systems and procedures exist between the Child Maintenance Service (CMS) and the Child Support Agency (CSA) to ensure that where, following a six-month warning notice of CSA case closure, a parent with care applies in advance to the CMS, the new application is not processed prematurely and a case opened by the CMS, prior to the CSA case being closed.

Priti Patel: Central to the arrangements for identifying and controlling the steps taken on 2012 scheme applications received from parents with care is the Data Warehouse. The Data Warehouse holds records of all Child Support Agency cases and there is an automatic interface between the Warehouse and the new Child Maintenance Service system.

Children: Maintenance

Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, in how many cases the Child Maintenance Service opened a new case in error before a case subject to the Child Support Agency case closure process was closed in the last 12 months.

Priti Patel: The Child Maintenance Service computer systems automatically check whether clients making applications to the 2012 Scheme also have a case with Child Support Agency (CSA). At February 2015, the Child Maintenance Service had received around 7,900 new applications from clients with CSA cases which are closing. Of these, 52 (around 0.6%) have had liability set up on the 2012 scheme before their CSA liability ended. Processes are in place to correct these cases through specialist teams who provide individual advice on a case by case basis. Additionally, to minimise occurrences, the automated lookups to the CSA systems are refreshed regularly and upgrades to the computer software have been made.

Children: Maintenance

Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 9 February 2015 to Question 223811, what progress has been made in completing the new Data Warehouse required by his Department to provide full IT functionality to support the 2012 Child Maintenance Scheme.

Priti Patel: Data warehouse capability has been delivered that provides automated support for new applications to the 2012 Scheme. Work is also underway to deliver additional capability to support the automated movement of relevant Child Support Agency arrears information to the 2012 system.

National Employment Savings Trust Scheme

Mark Garnier: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, for what reasons the National Employment Savings Trust is exempt from the requirements for improved governance of workplace pensions schemes set out in his Department's publication, Better workplace pensions: Putting savers' interests first, Cm 9000.

Justin Tomlinson: The National Employment Savings Trust (NEST) is subject to most of the requirements set out in Better workplace pensions: Putting savers' interests first, Cm 9000. There are a small number of areas where NEST already has particular (usually stronger) governance requirements set out in the Pensions Act 2008. The rationale for exempting NEST from certain provisions in the Occupational Pension Scheme (Charges and Governance) Regulations 2015 was so as not to contradict these primary legislation requirements.

National Employment Savings Trust Scheme

Mark Garnier: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, when the National Employment Savings Trust plans to complete (a) the independent assurance audit and (b) the other constituent parts of the voluntary assurance framework.

Justin Tomlinson: NEST Corporation is currently producing an independent assurance report on the AAF 02/07 standard for Master Trust Schemes. In the autumn of 2014, NEST Corporation published a governance statement which covered many of the requirements of the independent assurance report and which was warmly welcomed by the Pensions Regulator. This governance statement was examined and signed off by the NEST Corporation Board.

National Employment Savings Trust Scheme

Mark Garnier: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what forecast he has made of when his Department's loan to meet the scheme implementation costs for the National Employment Savings Trust will be repaid; and what the process is for that repayment.

Justin Tomlinson: The exact amount of loan finance required to establish NEST and the length of the loan will ultimately depend on a range of factors including: NEST’s final costs; the nature and size of NEST’s membership and the revenue that this generates; and other macroeconomic factors. Once NEST’s revenues from charges exceed its annual running costs, it will begin to repay the capital loan. The European Commission’s decision on State aid for NEST noted a wide range of possible scenarios for the length of the loan ranging between 20 and 38 years.

Children: Maintenance

Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, for what period of time parents who were formerly in receipt of Child Support Agency maintenance via that agency's collection service will experience a gap in child maintenance payments before their new applications to the Child Maintenance Service made within the six-month notice period are processed and a new payment schedule notified to the paying parent.

Priti Patel: The Government has committed to minimise disruption for those parents who wish to continue using the statutory service. We will guarantee that if parents choose to apply to the Child Maintenance Service (CMS), and apply before the liability on their Child Support Agency (CSA) case ends, the underlying requirement to pay will continue through to their new case in the CMS.

National Employment Savings Trust Corporation

Mark Garnier: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the £1.2 million spent on research by National Employment Savings Trust in fiscal year 2013-14.

Justin Tomlinson: The National Employment Savings Trust (NEST) Corporation’s Annual Report and Accounts 2013 /14 shows that £1.252 million was spent on research related activity. This expenditure included:· Projects with employers and advisors to help predict operational volumes for NEST in the peak employer staging months of summer 2014. This helped NEST Corporation to develop the right levels of resourcing and service to deal with the increased numbers of staging employers.· Customer satisfaction research with NEST employers and members, to understand their views on their experience of NEST.· Research on testing of communications materials for members and service proposition testing for small companies. Research related communications activity mainly focused on communicating with employers and intermediaries to prepare them for automatic and enrolment and how to use NEST.

Social Security Benefits: Rutherglen and Hamilton West

Margaret Ferrier: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many benefit recipients have been sanctioned in Rutherglen and Hamilton West constituency in the last 12 months.

Priti Patel: The information requested, broken down by geography and reason, is published at: https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.ukGuidance on how to extract the information required can be found at:https://sw.stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/webapi/online-help/Getting-Started---SuperWEB2.html

Social Security Benefits: Disqualification

Mr Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will commission an independent review of the sanctions regime.

Priti Patel: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 03 June 2015 to Question UIN 170

Employment: Electronic Government

Mr Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate he has made of the number of jobseekers required to spend a certain number of hours per week on the Government's online jobs website who are unable to afford their own computer or internet connection.

Priti Patel: No such estimate has been made. However, in discussing the content of a Claimant Commitment, Jobcentre Plus Work Coaches take into account individual circumstances when agreeing those jobsearch activities that, if undertaken, will offer the claimant best prospects of employment. Where this includes looking and applying for jobs on-line and the claimant does not have their own Internet access, the Work Coach will agree a reasonable level of activity, taking into account the availability of alternative means of access, e.g. free public access services and Jobcentre Plus computers.

Social Security Benefits

Mr Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of difficulties caused by the two week waiting period for a hardship payment.

Priti Patel: Jobseeker’s Allowance claimants with children and anyone categorised as vulnerable, including all Employment Support Allowance claimants, are able to apply for hardship payments from day one of the sanction. The majority of claims are accepted. In addition to this, Local Authorities provide assistance to the most vulnerable people in their communities through local welfare provision, which has received an additional £74 million on top of the £129 million previously allocated funding.

Social Security Benefits: Mental Illness

Mr Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what his Department's policy is on sanctioning (a) families with children and (b) people suffering from mental health problems.

Priti Patel: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 03 June 2015 to Question UIN 176

Work Capability Assessment: Wales

Guto Bebb: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, for what reason personal independence payment claimants resident in North Wales who require a Capita assessment are given the option of attending clinics only in Cardiff and Swansea.

Justin Tomlinson: Capita offer all claimants in North Wales the opportunity to have the assessment conducted within their own home. Those claimants who wish to attend a clinic appointment are offered the nearest centre, which may include Cardiff and/or Swansea. Claimants are reimbursed their travel expenses.

Housing Benefit: Southwark

Ms Harriet Harman: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the total number of households claiming housing benefit in the London Borough of Southwark was in (a) 2010-11, (b) 2011-12, (c) 2012-13, (d) 2013-14 and (e) 2014-15.

Justin Tomlinson: The information available is published and can be found at:https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.ukGuidance on how to extract the information required can be found at:https://sw.stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/webapi/online-help/Getting-Started---SuperWEB2.html

Housing Benefit: Southwark

Ms Harriet Harman: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many households in the London Borough of Southwark received Discretionary Housing Payment in  (a) 2012-13, (b) 2013-14 and (c) 2014-15.

Justin Tomlinson: The Department does not hold information regarding the number of households who have claimed Discretionary Housing Payments (DHP) in constituency areas. In June last year the Department released a publication detailing Local Authorities use of DHP in 2013/14, which included the number of awards made. The information can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/discretionary-housing-payments/statistics

Housing Benefit: Camberwell and Peckham

Ms Harriet Harman: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many households in Camberwell and Peckham constituency received Discretionary Housing Payment in (a) 2012-13, (b) 2013-14 and (c) 2014-15.

Justin Tomlinson: The Department does not hold information regarding the number of households who have claimed Discretionary Housing Payments (DHP) in constituency areas. In June last year the Department released a publication detailing Local Authorities use of DHP in 2013/14, which included the number of awards made. The information can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/discretionary-housing-payments/statistics

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Dangerous Dogs

Jim Fitzpatrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many people were (a) proceeded against and (b) convicted of an offence under section 3(1) of the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 in England in 2014.

Jim Fitzpatrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many people were (a) proceeded against and (b) convicted of an offence under section 2 of the Dangerous Dogs Act 1871 in England in 2014.

George Eustice: The number of defendants proceeded against at magistrates’ courts and found guilty at all courts of offences under Section 3(1) of the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 and Section 2 of the Dogs Act 1871, in England in 2014, can be viewed in the below table. Defendants proceeded against at magistrates courts and found guilty at all courts of selected offences related to dogs legislation, England, 2014 (1)(2)   LegislationProceeded againstFound guilty   Section 3(1) Dangerous Dogs Act 19911,163878   Section 2 Dogs Act 18715910   (1) The figures given in the table relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offences for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been found guilty of two or more offences it is the offence for which the heaviest penalty is imposed. Where the same disposal is imposed for two or more offences, the offence selected is the offence for which the statutory maximum penalty is the most severe.   (2) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used.

Game: Birds

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate she has made of the number of red grouse in the UK; and what estimate she has made of the value of red grouse shooting to the UK economy.

Rory Stewart: The British Trust for Ornithology and the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds suggest that there are an estimated 230,000 breeding pairs of red grouse in the UK.Information on the value of red grouse shooting is not held by the Government. However, according to an industry report (Public & Corporate Economic Consultants report 2014: The Value of Shooting, found at www.shootingfacts.co.uk) shooting is worth £2 billion annually to the rural economy and supports 74,000 jobs.

Norway: Ammunition

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will discuss with her Norwegian counterpart the decision of the Norwegian parliament to repeal that country's lead shot ban.

Rory Stewart: Before responding to the final report of the independent Lead Ammunition Group, Defra will look carefully at its findings and to the experience of other countries such as Norway.

Hunting Act 2004

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what her policy is on repeal of the Hunting Act.

Rory Stewart: The Government has said that it will give Parliament the opportunity to repeal the Hunting Act on a free vote, with a government bill in government time.

Pets: Imports

Neil Parish: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many prosecutions were brought forward for (a) the illegal import of pets under the Trade in Animals and Related Products Regulations 2011 and (b) knowingly presenting fraudulent information in relation to the import of pets under the Non-Commercial Movement of Pet Animals Order 2011.

George Eustice: The Non-Commercial Movement of Pet Animals Order 2011 and the Trade in Animals and Related Products Regulation 2011 are enforced by Local Authorities.   In line with obligations under Section 80 of the Animal Health Act 1981 information is provided by Local Authorities to the Animal and Plant Health Agency on proceedings under this Act. This includes information on the number of prosecutions secured under the Trade in Animals and Related Products Regulations 2011 and the Non-Commercial Movement of Pet Animals Order 2011.   Details of the nature of the offences are not recorded centrally.   The number of prosecutions is set out in the table below.   Prosecutions for illegally importing pet animals for sale may also be brought under legislation governing consumer protection, the sale of pet animals and the importation of rabies susceptible animals. YearTrade in Animals and Related Products Regulations 2011Non-Commercial Movement of Pet Animals Order 201120110N/A201200201313201402

Wetlands

Mrs Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many wetland sites there are in the UK; what area those sites cover; what statutory protections have applied to each such site in each year since 2005; and if she will make a statement.

Mrs Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many representatives of her Department will attend the Ramsar Conference in Uruguay in June 2015; what steps she is taking to protect UK wetlands; and if she will make a statement.

Rory Stewart: Defra has sent two representatives to the 12th Conference of the Parties to the Ramsar Convention in Uruguay.The UK is a party to the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands of International Importance and has designated 172 Ramsar sites. This is more than any other Contracting Party and includes 24 sites in the UK Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. In Great Britain, Ramsar sites cover an area of almost 700,000 hectares. Detailed site information is available on the Joint Nature Conservation Committee’s website at: http://jncc.defra.gov.uk/default.aspx?page=161.In Great Britain, Ramsar sites are not afforded statutory protection but as a matter of Government policy receive the same protection as European sites designated under the EU Wild Birds and Habitats Directives. For example, in England the National Planning Policy Framework (2012) states that listed or proposed Ramsar sites should be given the same protection as European sites. In regard to the broader protection of wetlands, this is mainly delivered through national implementation of the EU Water Framework Directive and the Birds and Habitats Directives. Defra takes a strategic approach to ensure that the implementation of these Directives is complementary to deliver common objectives.Information regarding Northern Ireland is the responsibility of the Northern Ireland Office.

Dangerous Dogs

Angela Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many people were (a) proceeded against and (b) convicted of offences under section 3(1) of the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 in England between 1 January 2014 and 12 May 2014.

Angela Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many people were (a) proceeded against and (b) convicted of offences under section 3(1) of the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 in England in a (i) public and (ii) private place between 13 May 2014 and 31 December 2014.

Angela Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many (a) Community Protection Notices, (b) injunctions and (c) Criminal Behaviour Orders have been served for dog-related offences under the Anti-social Behaviour Crime and Policing Act 2014 since 20 October 2014.

Angela Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many people were (a) proceeded against and (b) convicted of an offence under section 3 of the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 in England for allowing a dog to attack an assistance dog between 13 May 2014 and 13 May 2015.

Angela Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many people were (a) proceeded against and (b) convicted of an offence under section 2 of the Dangerous Dogs Act 1871 in England in 2014.

George Eustice: The number of defendants proceeded against at magistrates’ courts and found guilty at all courts of offences under Section 3 and 3(1) of the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 can be viewed in Table 1 and Section 2 of the Dogs Act 1871, in England in 2014, can be viewed in Table 2.   Criminal justice statistics for 2015 are planned for publication in spring 2016.   Centrally held data cannot separately identify whether or not an attack took place in a public or a private place. This information may be held in individual court files, which could only be inspected at disproportionate cost.   With regard to the calendar split, no defendants were proceeded against at magistrates’ courts on the enhanced offences until June 2014; hence data for May has been retained together and a split from June to December presented.   Meanwhile, data reported to the Ministry of Justice, and held on the Court Proceedings Database, pertaining to criminal cases which were concluded at all courts in England and Wales between 20 October 2014 and 31 December 2014 (latest currently available) indicate that none of the Criminal Behaviour Orders (CBOs) issued were as a result of a conviction for a criminal offence specifically relating to dogs under the anti-Social Behaviour, Crime and Policy Act 2014.   The Ministry of Justice holds no information centrally on Community Protection Notices or injunctions related to powers under this Act. Table 1   Defendants proceeded against at magistrates courts and found guilty at all courts of offences under selected sections of the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991, England, 2014 (1)(2) LegislationOutcomeJanuary ToMayJuneToDecemberTotalSection 3(1) Dangerous Dogs Act 1991ProceededAgainstFoundGuilty444 325718 5531,163 878 Section 3 Dangerous Dogs Act 1991ProceededAgainstFoundGuilty- -3 23 2   (1) The figures given in the table relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offences for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been found guilty of two or more offences it is the offence for which the heaviest penalty is imposed. Where the same disposal is imposed for two or more offences, the offence selected is the offence for which the statutory maximum penalty is the most severe.   (2) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used.   Source: Justice Statistics Analytical Services - Ministry of Justice. Ref: 271-15 PQC 1009 - 1010 & 1013   Table 2   Defendants proceeded against at magistrates courts and found guilty at all courts of offences under the Dogs Act 1871, England, 2014 (1)(2)Proceeded againstFound guilty5910 (1) The figures given in the table relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offences for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been found guilty of two or more offences it is the offence for which the heaviest penalty is imposed. Where the same disposal is imposed for two or more offences, the offence selected is the offence for which the statutory maximum penalty is the most severe. (2) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used.  Source: Justice Statistics Analytical Services - Ministry of Justice. Ref: 271-15 PQC 101

Agriculture: Subsidies

Angela Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what progress has been made on the technical difficulties over online access for applications to the Basic Payment Scheme; and if she will make a statement.

Angela Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what plans her Department has to help farmers who do not meet the deadline for applications to the Basic Payment Scheme.

Angela Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what representations she has received from the farming community about applications to the Basic Payment Scheme.

George Eustice: Our focus remains on ensuring that the Basic Payment Scheme claimants are able to submit their claims by the deadline, indeed as of 8 June 2015 the RPA have received 58,836 completed claims, which is in line with the number of claims received in previous years.In order to help farmers to be able to submit their claims by the deadline the Rural Payments Agency has 50 drop in centres open, 10 mobile support units in operation and a dedicated helpline. The deadline for claim submission is fixed by the regulation, although in recognition of the additional complexity the EU has already extended the deadline to the 15 June. Farmers and agents have received all the information and forms they need to submit claims. Support to farmers will still be available during the late claim period which runs to 10 July where applications can still be received but will incur a penalty.

Animal Welfare

Angela Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to the statement made by the Minister of State for Farming, Food and the Marine Environment to the Western Morning News on 25 May 2015, what the scientific evidential basis is for the statement that there is not a great deal of difference in practical terms between shooting badgers and shooting other wildlife.

George Eustice: The Chief Veterinary Officer has advised that based on the evidence of two annual culls, his view is that the likelihood of suffering in badgers culled by controlled shooting remains comparable with the range of outcomes reported when other culling activities, currently accepted by society, have been assessed, such as deer shooting.   A copy of the Chief Veterinary Officer’s advice is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/bovine-tb-chief-veterinary-officers-advice-on-outcome-of-year-2-of-the-badger-culls

Bovine Tuberculosis: South West

Angela Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when she plans to start the third phase of badger cull pilots in Somerset and Gloucestershire.

George Eustice: Start dates have yet to be decided by the two cull companies in Gloucestershire and Somerset.

Hunting Act 2004

Angela Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what representations she has received supporting repeal of the Hunting Act 2004 since 7 May 2015.

Rory Stewart: Since 7 May 2015, Defra has received a variety of representations both for and against repeal of the Hunting Act 2004 from non-government organisations and the public.

Hunting Act 2004

Angela Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether she plans to bring forward legislative proposals to repeal the Hunting Act 2004 in this parliamentary Session.

Rory Stewart: The Government has said that it will give Parliament the opportunity to repeal the Hunting Act on a free vote, with a government bill in government time.

Animal Welfare: Circuses

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when her Department plans to bring forward legislative proposals on the use of wild animals in circuses.

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she is taking to prevent the use of wild animals in circuses.

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential effectiveness of a licensing regime for the use of wild animals in circuses.

George Eustice: I refer the hon. Member to the reply previously given to the hon. Member for Brighton, Pavilion on 2 June 2015, PQ UIN 416. The interim licensing scheme for the use of wild animals in travelling circuses in England came into force in January 2013. A preliminary assessment by Defra of the effectiveness of the licensing scheme was undertaken after the first set of annual licences issued had expired. The preliminary review suggested that the Regulations have been effective in establishing a licensing regime that appears to be ensuring compliance with the agreed welfare requirements of the Regulations for wild animals in travelling circuses. A full evaluation of the licensing scheme will be carried out, if required, as part of the statutory five year review.

Timber: EU Law

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she is taking to reach common agreement with other EU member states on amending the EU Timber Regulation so it covers all timber and timber products.

Rory Stewart: Defra has recommended that the scope of the EU Timber Regulation is increased to cover a wider range of timber and timber products. This is as part of the current EU-wide review of the Regulation.In addition, Defra is actively encouraging better implementation of the EU Timber Regulation across the EU. This includes hosting meetings with EU Timber Regulation enforcement officials from other EU Member States to share practical advice and discuss best practice.

Seas and Oceans: EU Law

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what measures her Department plans to implement to meet the requirements of the Marine Strategy Framework Directive.

George Eustice: Consultation on the programme of measures to implement the Marine Strategy Framework Directive ended on 24 April this year. The consultation document is available at: https://consult.defra.gov.uk/marine/msfd-programme-of-measures.We are currently assessing the responses to the consultation and a decision on the final programme of measures will be taken in the autumn.

Dairy Farming: Government Assistance

Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions she has had with the Welsh Government on efforts to help the dairy industry.

George Eustice: The dairy sector is a vital part of the food and farming sector. The Government is doing all it can to help during this difficult period and we have already committed to extending the system of tax averaging which will help farmers manage the fluctuations in income caused by weather or global events. We are constantly looking to open new markets for our industry and pushing for better country of origin labelling for British dairy products.   The Secretary of State chairs regular meetings with the Devolved Administrations (DAs) on issues of mutual interest. Defra officials maintain regular contact with their counterparts in the DAs on a range of dairy issues.

Dairy Farming

Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps the Government takes to help dairy farmers affected by reductions in the price of milk.

George Eustice: Farmers are under real pressure because of the fall in global dairy prices. There is no magic bullet, but the Government is doing all it can to support the industry and boost dairy exports which are now at record levels.  We have committed to extending the current system of tax averaging – for the first time farmers will be able to average out the tax they pay on their profits from two to five years which will help to manage the fluctuations in income caused by weather or global events.   We are encouraging farmers to unite in Producer Organisations which will give them more collective power. Producer Organisations are a good way of building greater resilience into the industry and individual businesses.   Consumers are increasingly looking for British produce on the supermarket shelves, and I would like to see better labelling on our dairy products to help them distinguish British cheese, cream and other dairy. This is something we have been pushing for in Europe and will continue to make the case.

Agriculture: Subsidies

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many UK farmers have had to resubmit their Basic Payment scheme application because of data being lost when submitted through the online system operated by the Rural Payments Agency; and what her policy is on providing compensation to such people.

George Eustice: No farmers have had to resubmit their Basic Payment Scheme applications. The data submitted through the online system has been captured and information entered will assist processing of Basic Payment Scheme claims.

Agriculture: Subsidies

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what proportion of Basic Payment Scheme applications will be registered by 15 June 2015; and whether she expects to seek a further extension to the deadline for applications.

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many farmers who wish to claim Basic Payment Scheme payments have yet to receive (a) prepopulated forms and (b) maps for use in the paper-based system.

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what proportion of farmers who have received EU CAP payments have registered their claim to receive Basic Payment Scheme payments in England.

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what proportion of farmers eligible for the Basic Payment scheme will have registered their claims by the extended deadline of 15 June 2015.

George Eustice: The Rural Payments Agency (RPA) has issued all pre-populated Basic Payments Scheme (BPS) 2015 application forms (BP5) and maps.We expect all those farmers who wish to claim BPS to have registered their claims by the deadline of 15 June. We do not anticipate requesting any further extension of the deadline.As of 8 June the RPA has received 58,836 completed BPS claims, which is what would be expected at this stage of the claim window. This is good progress as we move towards the deadline.

Home Office

Human Trafficking

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate she has made of the number of people that have been trafficked to the UK to have their organs harvested in each of the last five years.

Karen Bradley: Trafficking to or within the UK for organ harvesting is a hidden crime and so its prevalence can only be roughly estimated. The National Crime Agency produces annual strategic assessments of the nature and scale of human trafficking in the UK. Whilst the assessment for 2014 has yet to be produced, the previous assessments recorded two reported cases of trafficking for organ harvesting in 2013, one reported case in 2012 and two reported cases in 2011. There was no strategic assessment in 2010, but there were no cases of trafficking for organ harvesting referred to the National Referral Mechanism in that year.

Police: Health

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking improve the fitness levels of police officers.

Mike Penning: The Winsor review of police officer and staff pay and conditions, which the Home Secretary commissioned, recommended in March 2012 that fitness testing should be introduced. Following consideration by the Police Advisory Board, fitness testing was implemented on 1 September 2014. The management of initiatives to help officers improve fitness is a matter for individual police forces and the College of Policing has issued guidance in this area.

Police: Pensions

Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the determination of 15 May 2015 of the Pensions Ombudsman with respect to the complaint by Mr W Milne against the Government Actuary's Department, what steps she is taking to ensure that other members of relevant pension schemes in the Police Service receive compensation awards consistent with that determination; and when she anticipates those awards will be made.

Mike Penning: The Government accepts the Ombudsman’s determination in full and recognises that there are other individuals, including retired police officers, who are affected by the principles set out in this determination. The Government is working with pension administrators to identify affected individuals and ensure that appropriate payments are made as quickly as possible. This will take time, with thousands of historic records to consider. Those affected will receive updates through their pensions administrators.

Police: Pensions

Mr Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make it her policy to allow widows and widowers of police officers who died as serving officers to keep their full pension entitlements when remarrying; and if she will make a statement.

Mike Penning: The Government announced at the Budget on 18 March 2015, that we will allow widows, widowers and surviving civil partners of police officers who have died on duty to keep their survivor’s benefits if they remarry, form a civil partnership or cohabit. This will not apply to all survivors in the 1987 Police Pension Scheme. The Home Office will consult the Police Advisory Board for England and Wales shortly on proposals to implement this change.

EU Nationals: British Nationality

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many EU citizens from each EU member state have taken British citizenship in each of the last 10 years.

James Brokenshire: The information requested is given in the table below. The latest Home Office immigration statistics, on grants of British citizenship by previous nationality, are published in Immigration Statistics January to March 2015, table cz_06 (Citizenship tables), which is available from the Department’s website at:https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/immigration-statistics-quarterly-releaseA copy will be placed in the Library of the House.



Grants of British citizenship
(Excel SpreadSheet, 12.57 KB)

EU Nationals: British Nationality

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the qualifying requirements are for an EU citizen to take British citizenship.

James Brokenshire: EU nationals who wish to become British citizens must apply for naturalisation under the British Nationality Act 1981. They are required to meet the same requirements as all other foreign nationals. This includes requirements to have sufficient knowledge of language and life in the United Kingdom -as measured by the "Life in the UK" test which we reformed in the last Parliament- and be of good character. The residential requirements are based on a period of lawful residence in the United Kingdom: 3 years for spouses and civil partners of British citizens and 5 years for others, without excess absences. A person must also be free of immigration time restrictions in the UK, and must have been free of those restrictions for at least 12 months before applying if not the spouse or civil partner of a British citizen. An EEA national becomes free of immigration time restrictions after five years' residence in the United Kingdom in accordance with EEA Regulations.

Home Office: Families

Mr David Burrowes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the Prime Minister's press release of August 2014, what steps she is taking to assess the impact of her Department's policies on the family.

James Brokenshire: As part of the policy development process Home Office officials are expected to consider the published Family Test guidance when assessing the impacts of the Department’s policies. The Family Test is actively being considered for a number of Home Office policies currently in development. The guidance can be found here -https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/368894/family-test-guidance.pdf

Home Office: Pensions

Mr David Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the implications for her Department's policies are of the decision of the Pension Ombudsman in the case of Mr Milne on 15 May 2015; and if she will make a statement on that ruling.

Mike Penning: The Government accepts the Ombudsman's determination in full and recognises that there are other individuals, including retired police officers, who are affected by the principles set out in this determination. The Government is working with pension administrators to identify affected individuals and ensure that the appropriate payments are made as quickly as possible.

Police: Finance

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what factors she took into account when deciding funding reductions for each police force in England and Wales; and if she will make a statement.

Mike Penning: All public services, including the police, need to take their fair share of the savings to reduce the deficit and help the country live within its means. Final police funding settlement allocations for 2015/16 were confirmed on 10 February, following a debate and vote in the House of Commons. After careful consideration, the Government decided that, as in previous years, all police forces in England and Wales would receive the same percentage reduction in core central Government funding. This is a transparent and straight forward approach and was the basis on which many Police and Crime Commissioners and forces had made their financial plans.The Government has committed to a fundamental review of the police funding formula to ensure that allocations to local forces are fair and appropriate. We will consult the police fully in due course.

Wales Office

Police: Helicopters

Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, what representations he has received from Ministers in the Welsh Government about the (a) Dyfed Powys Police Helicopter and (b) National Police Air Service.

Alun Cairns: Wales Office Ministers have not received any representations from Welsh Ministers or Assembly Members about the Dyfed Powys helicopter or the National Police Air Service (NPAS).

HM Treasury

Working Tax Credit: Overpayments

Mr Roger Godsiff: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what quality standards HM Revenue and Customs applies when deciding to which external debt collection agencies the collection of working tax credit overpayments is outsourced.

Mr David Gauke: HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) began using private sector debt collection agencies (DCAs) to augment in-house debt collection capability in 2009. HMRC follows the prescribed HM Government procurement process in appointing the service provider. This includes strict requirements relating to quality and propriety. In addition, HMRC was careful to ensure that suppliers were required to demonstrate high standards and substantial experience in the aspects of debt pursuit required for the contract.

Working Tax Credit: Overpayments

Mr Roger Godsiff: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what impact assessment was made of the decision by HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) to outsource the collection of working tax credit overpayments to external debt collection agencies; and what estimate HMRC made of the cost of (a) recovering overpayment by HMRC and (b) selling the debts.

Mr David Gauke: HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) began using private sector debt collection agencies (DCAs) to augment in-house debt collection capability in 2009. HMRC recognised the need to do more to tackle the temporary forecast rise in tax credit related debt before the replacement of tax credits by Universal Credit. HMRC's experience working with Debt Collection Agencies showed that they could provide cost effective temporary capacity to do this, especially because doing this would enable HMRC's own collectors to generate extra yield from other types of debt, and that this approach would offer substantially better value than selling the debts.

Working Tax Credit: Overpayments

Mr Roger Godsiff: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, for what reasons HM Revenue and Customs decided to outsource the collection of working tax credit overpayments to external debt collection agencies.

Mr David Gauke: HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) began using private sector debt collection agencies (DCAs) to augment in-house debt collection capability in 2009. HMRC recognised the need to do more to tackle the temporary forecast rise in tax credit related debt before the replacement of tax credits by universal credit. HMRC's experience working with Debt Collection Agencies showed that they could provide cost effective temporary capacity to do this, especially because doing this would enable HMRC's own collectors to generate extra yield from other types of debt.

Working Tax Credit: Overpayments

Mr Roger Godsiff: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, who signed off the decision that HM Revenue and Customs would outsource the collection of working tax credit overpayments to external debt collection agencies; what consultation with stakeholders was undertaken before the decision was taken; and whether expert advice was sought.

Mr David Gauke: HM Revenue and Customs began using private sector debt collection agencies (DCAs) to augment in-house debt collection capability in 2009. The decision was announced by the Chancellor of the Exchequer as part of Autumn Statement 2012 and Autumn Statement 2013; and in line with established procedure, such decisions are not formally consulted on in advance. HMRC involved a full range of experts in the planning and procurement process.

Welfare Tax Credits

Louise Haigh: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many people working in the retail sector are in receipt of tax credits.

Louise Haigh: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many people working in the retail sector received working families tax credits in each of the last five years.

Mr David Gauke: The information requested could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

Welfare Tax Credits

Louise Haigh: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many people in each parliamentary constituency who earn less than the living wage are in receipt of (a) working families tax credit and (b) child tax credit.

Louise Haigh: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the total cost to the Exchequer has been of paying (a) working families tax credits and (b) child tax credit to those who earn less than the living wage in each of the last five years.

Mr David Gauke: The information requested is not available.

Business: Stocks and Shares

Dr Alasdair McDonnell: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps he is taking to protect viable businesses from distressed securities funds.

Harriett Baldwin: Many businesses rely on funding and advice from creditors such as Private Equity funds for restructuring purposes, and have used this support to strengthen their business. However, it is inevitable that some businesses cannot overcome their financial difficulties. It is right that those who invest in businesses are allowed compensation in the event the company defaults on their debt.   However, the government understands the importance of protecting businesses from unfair or predatory practices by creditors. Anti-asset stripping measures were introduced under the Alternative Investment Fund Managers Directive (AIFMD), which includes specific measures to address concerns about predatory creditors.

Landlords: Taxation

Mr Christopher Chope: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate he has made of the total annual contribution in taxes arising from residential landlords which are unincorporated.

Mr Christopher Chope: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate he has made of the total annual contribution in corporation tax paid by residential landlords in the UK.

Mr David Gauke: The Government has made no such assessment.

Landlords: Taxation

Mr Christopher Chope: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent assessment he has made of the contribution that private-sector residential landlords make to the economy.

Mr David Gauke: According to the latest figures published by the Department for Communities and Local Government, the private rental sector accounts for 19% of housing in the UK.   These properties make an important contribution in balancing the wider housing market, which requires a mix of tenures in order to operate effectively. The provision of rented accommodation also supports the economy through improved labour market flexibility.

Treasury: Families

Mr David Burrowes: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to Prime Minister's press release of 18 August 2014, what steps he is taking to assess the impact of his Department's policies on the family.

Damian Hinds: The Family Test was announced by the Prime Minister in August 2014 and introduced in October 2014 through the publication of guidance for officials - The Family Test - Guidance for Government Departments available at gov.uk.   The objective of the Test is to introduce a family perspective to the policy making process, specifically to make the potential impacts on family functioning and relationships explicit.   The Treasury has been working with the DWP to embed the Test in the policymaking process.

Child Benefit

Mr David Anderson: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many two parent families with a combined income above £50,000 claim child benefit.

Damian Hinds: The information could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

Department for Energy and Climate Change

Renewable Energy

Michelle Donelan: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what steps she has taken to revoke payments made to unlawful developments under Renewable Obligation certificates or feed-in tariffs.

Andrea Leadsom: Ofgem administers the Renewables Obligation (RO) and Feed-in Tariff (FITs) schemes in accordance with the requirements of the relevant scheme legislation - the Renewables Obligation Order 2009 (as amended) and the Feed-in Tariff Order 2012 (as amended).Article 41 of the Renewables Obligation Order 2009 sets out the circumstances in which renewable obligation certificates may or must be revoked by Ofgem. These are explained in Ofgem’s ‘Renewables Obligation: Guidance for Generators’[1].Articles 17 and 35 of the Feed in Tariff Order 2012 provide for Ofgem to reduce, withhold or recoup FIT payments and further details are set out in ‘Ofgem’s Feed in Tariff: Guidance for Renewable Installations' [2].[1] See paragraphs 5.37 – 5.40 of Ofgem’s ‘Renewables Obligation: Guidance for Generators (June 2014 ) at https://www.ofgem.gov.uk/ofgem-publications/87997/renewablesobligation-guidanceforgenerators1june2014.pdf[2] See paragraphs 4.53 to 4.57 of Ofgem’s Feed in Tariff: Guidance for Renewable Installations (June 2014) at https://www.ofgem.gov.uk/ofgem-publications/88268/fitgeneratorguidanceversion7june20141.pdf.

Cabinet Office

Electoral Register

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what his policy is on the abolition of the annual canvass undertaken by Electoral Registration Officers, as provided for in the Electoral Registration and Administration Act 2013 c. 6 Part 1, Section 7(2)(b), during the course of the current Parliament.

John Penrose: Following the introduction of Individual Electoral Registration (IER) in Great Britain in 2014, the annual canvass of households has been retained. There are no current plans to exercise an order under Part 1, Section 7(2)(b) of the Electoral Registration and Administration Act 2013.

Constituencies

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether the Government plans to bring forward legislative proposals to alter the procedure by which the recommendations of the Boundary Commissions take effect upon the conclusion of their periodic reviews of constituency boundaries.

John Penrose: The Government remains committed to equalising the size of constituencies in order to make votes of more equal value. The Government will outline its plans for constituency boundaries when it responds to the Political and Constitutional Reform Committee’s report, What next on the redrawing of parliamentary constituency boundaries?, in due course.

Electoral Register: Internet

Justin Madders: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many people registered to vote or attempted to register to vote online after 20 April 2015.

John Penrose: Since 20 April 2015 over 250,000 people have applied to register to vote online at gov.uk/register-to-vote  Information about the number of people who have applied to register to vote is available at www.gov.uk/performance/register-to-vote

Cabinet Office: Public Expenditure

Lucy Powell: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what the breakdown is of the £17 million savings to his Department's budget.

Matthew Hancock: The Cabinet Office intends to deliver £17.4m savings through a reduction in programme budgets across the Department, and a range of efficiencies affecting administrative expenditure, reduced use of consultants and contractors, and estates efficiencies.

Constituencies

Lucy Powell: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, when he plans to enact the reduction in the number of seats in this House from 650 to 600.

Lucy Powell: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 3 June 2015 to Question 263, whether it remains his policy to reduce the number of parliamentary constituencies from 650 to 600.

John Penrose: The Parliamentary Voting System and Constituencies (PVSC) Act 2011 provides for the number of constituencies to be reduced from 650 to 600 and the Government remains committed to equalising the size of constituencies in order to make votes of more equal value. The Government will outline its plans for constituency boundaries when it responds to the Political and Constitutional Reform Committee’s report, What next on the redrawing of parliamentary constituency boundaries?, in due course. The Boundary Commissions are due to commence work on their next reviews of Parliamentary constituencies in spring 2016 in order to submit final reports by 1 October 2018. If approved, the new constituencies would take effect at the next General Election.

Electoral Register

Lucy Powell: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what estimate he has made of changes to the number of people on the electoral register since the introduction of individual electoral registration; and what changes there have been to the age and demographic profiles of electors in that period.

John Penrose: The introduction of Individual Electoral Registration has made it easier than ever before for electors to register to vote through online registration.  The Electoral Commission will be publishing a report this month on the electoral registers used for the General Election, providing the most up to date picture about registration levels.

Digital Technology

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what his Department's responsibilities are on digital government and wider digital and technology policy; and which Minister in his Department has day-to-day responsibility for those issues.

Matthew Hancock: The Cabinet Office is responsible for the Government Digital Service (GDS) and it falls within my portfolio as Minister for the Cabinet Office.GDS design, build and run digital platforms and infrastructure in conjunction with Departments. GDS also work to improve the technology and digital skills of the civil service.

Conflict, Stability and Security Fund

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how the work of the Conflict, Security and Stability Fund is co-ordinated at ministerial level; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Oliver Letwin: The National Security Council (NSC) approves the overall strategy and direction of the Conflict Security and Stability Fund (CSSF).As the Written Ministerial statement of 12 March set out, the NSC has agreed a range of country and regional strategies, along with approaches on peacekeeping and multilateral institutions which together form a strategic framework for NSC Departments to prioritise HMG’s effort to tackle instability and insecurity overseas.The NSC has agreed CSSF allocations for FY15/16. These allocations may change during the course of FY15/16 to reflect changing priorities or to enable the Government to respond more effectively to new cases of conflict and instability.

Kids Company: Greater London

Ms Harriet Harman: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what information his Department holds about the number of children the charity Kids Company supports in (a) the London Borough of Southwark and (b) all London boroughs.

Mr Rob Wilson: The information requested is not held.

Department for Culture Media and Sport

Gaming Machines: Licensing

Chris Bryant: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether he plans to bring forward proposals to alter the restrictions on the premises which can be licensed to have fixed-odds betting terminal machines.

Chris Bryant: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether he plans to bring forward proposals to alter the number of fixed-odds betting terminal machines allowed in each betting shop.

Tracey Crouch: The Government currently has no plans to alter the restrictions on the premises which can be licensed to have fixed-odds betting terminal machines or alter the number of FOBTs allowed per betting shop. Nevertheless, the Government continues to monitor the effects of existing controls and if need be will take action if these controls are found to be insufficient.

Television: Licensing

Chris Bryant: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether he plans to bring forward proposals to decriminalise non-payment of the television licence fee.

Mr Edward Vaizey: The Government is committed to a thorough review of how the licence fee is enforced. David Perry QC is leading an open, independent, and evidence-based review which is due to report to me at the end of June 2015. My Right Hon. Friend the Secretary of State will then need to consider the recommendations and how these will feed into the Charter Review process.

BBC: Finance

Chris Bryant: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether he proposes to continue top-slicing in the next television licence fee settlement.

Mr Edward Vaizey: My Right Hon. Friend the Secretary of State has previously said that the process for setting BBC funding must be open and transparent. He is currently considering options for how the licence fee settlement should be undertaken, alongside options for the Charter Review, and he will make an announcement in due course.

Football: Finance

Chris Bryant: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps he is taking to ensure the Premier League meets its commitment to fund grassroots sport.

Chris Bryant: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what discussions he has had with Richard Scudamore about the Premier League's contribution to grassroots sport.

Tracey Crouch: I have already held preliminary discussions with the Executive Chairman of the Premier League on this subject. We will continue to discuss the PL's funding intentions, and together we will work in partnership to ensure funding for grassroots football remains strong. The Premier League is a global success and it is vital that this pinnacle of domestic competition is supportive of the National Game.

Mobile Phones: Transport

Chris Bryant: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what estimate he has made of the proportion of the (a) major road network and (b) rail network that is a complete not-spot.

Mr Edward Vaizey: According to the information provided by Ofcom, none of the motorways and 3% of A and B roads are in complete not-spots and do not have any 2G mobile coverage. No data is available for the coverage on the rail networks but the Department for Transport is in the process of estimating mobile coverage on the rail network.

Leisure: Facilities

Chris Bryant: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what recent discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government on local authority funding for sports and cultural facilities.

Mr Edward Vaizey: The Department for Culture, Media and Sport is committed to working closely with the Department for Communities and Local Government on sports and cultural facilities. Sport England works with a wide range of local authorities, providing expert advice and funding to sustain and increase the number of people playing sport regularly. We invest in local authority facilities projects through Sport England's range of funding programmes, such as its Improvement Fund and the Strategic Facilities Fund to make sure that facilities are modern, accessible and in the right places to have the most impact. Sport England has provided expert advice to over 80 local authorities helping them to plan their facilities better and maximise their resources. Local Government is the biggest public investor in arts and culture in England. Funding decisions using money generated through Council Tax and council budgets should be made at a local level and local authorities should recognise the huge benefits that investing in culture can bring, and many already do. Our City of Culture campaign celebrates local authorities which are championing culture and increasing access to the arts. Arts Council England works with local authorities to promote the impact that culture can have.

Non-domestic Rates: Local Press

Chris Bryant: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, when he plans to consult on business rate relief for local newspapers.

Mr Edward Vaizey: We are working closely with industry stakeholders and other government departments in order to build up the framework for the consultation as set out in the Conservative manifesto. Discussions around practical arrangements are underway and we will be consulting in due course.

Mobile Phones: Business Premises

Chris Bryant: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how many premises are in complete not-spots.

Mr Edward Vaizey: The information is not available in the format that has been requested. According to Ofcom's 2014 Infrastructure Report 0.3% of premises (outdoor coverage) and 2% (indoor coverage) in the UK are in complete not-spots and have no 2G mobile voice coverage. The last report was published in December 2014 and can be found on the Ofcom website here:http://stakeholders.ofcom.org.uk/binaries/research/infrastructure/2014/infrastructure-14.pdf

Gun Sports

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if he will take steps to promote the economic and environmental benefits of shooting sports in the UK.

Tracey Crouch: Between 2013 – 2017 Sport England is investing £1.1 million in British Shooting to get more people taking part in the sport in England. This investment is focused on helping talented young shooters to be the best they can be and in getting more disabled people involved in the sport. Sport England has also invested over £615,000 in shooting projects and facilities. This includes nine clubs who have benefitted from Sport England’s Inspired Facilities fund.Government recognises the value of shooting and its importance was referenced in the Sport and Recreation Alliance’s 2014 ‘Reconomics’ report http://www.sportandrecreation.org.uk/sites/sportandrecreation.org.uk/files/web/Reconomics%20-%20The%20Evidence.pdf. This report demonstrates that outdoor pursuits brings opportunities to both the local and national economy. Government is keen to ensure that everyone who wants to be involved in outdoor recreation has the opportunity to do so. Sport England recently commissioned Insight work to better understand the outdoor recreation market, the current supply and the potential demand. These findings will be available on 9th June 2015.

Tickets: Sales

Mr Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what recent assessment he has made of the fairness of the operation of the secondary ticketing market; and if he will make a statement.

Tracey Crouch: The Consumer Rights Act 2015, contains provisions for an independent statutory review of the consumer protection measures in the secondary ticketing market. It will be independently led and it will be presented to Parliament within a year of commencement.

Digital Infrastructure and Inclusion Implementation Taskforce

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how often he plans that the Digital Infrastructure and Inclusion Ministerial implementation taskforce he chairs will meet; and how often that body will report to the Prime Minister.

Mr Edward Vaizey: The Digital Infrastructure and Inclusion Implementation Taskforce will meet as and when required, and the Prime Minister will be updated on a regular basis.

Digital Technology

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, why responsibilities for digital economy have been moved to his Department; whether his Department is responsible for digital inclusion; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Edward Vaizey: The Digital Economy Unit has moved to the Department for Culture Media and Sport to create a strong focus on the Digital Economy within Government. The move builds on the success of the joint Department for Business, Innovation & Skills and Department for Culture Media and Sport unit which has been operating for almost a year. The unit will continue to work closely with the Department for Business and across Whitehall. The Digital Inclusion team within the Cabinet Office continues to lead on digital inclusion - equipping individuals, small and medium-sized enterprises and the voluntary community and social enterprise sector, with the basic digital skills needed to make the most of being online and to motivate them to do so.

House of Commons Commission

Parliament: Asbestos

Nic Dakin: To ask the hon. Member for Mole Valley representing the House of Commons Commission, what recent progress has been made on the operation of Parliament's Asbestos Management Plan; and if he will make a statement.

Sir Paul Beresford: Owing to its historic nature, asbestos deposits are present within the Palace of Westminster. The Parliamentary Estates Directorate operates an Asbestos Management Plan which it uses to safely manage asbestos across the whole of the parliamentary estate, in full compliance with the Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012.During the successful installation of new, modern equipment in the plant room that supplies the Chamber and adjacent offices, a series of asbestos reassurance tests have been carried out. Traces of asbestos were recently found in the ventilation trunking, but extensive sampling at the vents has provided very high confidence that it is not becoming airborne.Professor R J Willey, Managing Director of ACS Physical Risk Control Ltd has undertaken an urgent review of the evidence, and concluded: “It is my considered Opinion that, after the discovery, proper procedures were timeously followed. Detailed investigation of the results of air tests taken, over a considerable period following the discovery, show quite conclusively that there was negligible risk to any persons supplied with air from the duct system. Providing current conditions are maintained, there will be negligible risk to any persons supplied with air in the future from the duct system.”The Commission and the House authorities regard the safety of Members, staff and the visiting public as their highest priority. Steps have therefore been taken to ensure that the ventilation system is not disturbed in any way. Steps will also be taken to eradicate the asbestos in the trunking by the end of 2015, but in the meantime we are content with this authoritative advice that there is no reason to stop using the Chamber, or the adjacent offices and spaces.

Department of Health

Health Services: Cheshire

Christian Matheson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what plans he has to publish the report Distressed Health Communities in East Cheshire NHS Trust.

Alistair Burt: The Department has not commissioned such a report. In 2014, NHS England, Monitor and the NHS Trust Development Authority (TDA) commissioned research from four consultancies to support 11 challenged local health economies with the development and strengthening of their strategic plans. Eastern Cheshire is one of the 11 health economies covered by this research. An overarching summary, ‘Making Local Health Economies Work Better For Patients’, was published by NHS England, Monitor and TDA in December 2014.

East Cheshire NHS Trust: Finance

Christian Matheson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what recent assessment he has made of the financial viability of East Cheshire NHS Trust.

Alistair Burt: No such assessment has been made by the Department.

Radiotherapy

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment NHS England has made of the potential  effect of three private proton therapy centres becoming operational in England in 2016 on University College Hospital London and the Christie Hospital Manchester's plans to build NHS proton therapy centres.

Jane Ellison: NHS England’s proton beam therapy (PBT) strategy is to deliver high quality PBT care within an integrated clinical environment using state of the art equipment for National Health Service patients. NHS England is committed to commissioning services from the planned Government-funded PBT facilities at University College Hospital London NHS Foundation Trust and The Christie NHS Foundation Trust, and as such has not entered into commissioning discussions with any private sector PBT market entrants.

Radiotherapy

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, when NHS England will publish the results of its review of stereotactic radiosurgery; and for what reasons NHS England is not publishing all submissions to that review.

Jane Ellison: NHS England undertook a service review and needs assessment during 2014, with appropriate public consultation, which concluded that a procurement process was required to ensure that patients are able to access high quality sustainable stereotactic radiosurgery and stereotactic radiotherapy services. The consultation report is due to be published shortly, which will also describe the next steps to further improve these services.   In line with other similar public consultation exercises, NHS England is due to publish a consultation report outlining the key themes of the consultation findings on its website.

Health Services: Inspections

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he plans to take to ensure that the Care Quality Commission publishes more of its inspection reports on time.

Ben Gummer: The Care Quality Commission (CQC) is the independent regulator of health and adult social care providers in England. The CQC is responsible for developing and consulting on its methodology for assessing whether providers are meeting the levels of safety and quality, including the decisions of when to publish inspection reports.   The CQC has provided the following information:   The CQC Business Plan for 2015/16 sets out Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) to be used to monitor progress and to improve reporting to its Board and to the public. These KPIs include an aim to publish inspection reports within 50 days of an inspection. This timeframe has been extended to 65 days for hospitals so as to accommodate the extensive nature of the post-inspection process, although this is not included in the Business Plan as it is exclusive to the hospitals directorate.   Since the introduction of the new approach inspections in 2014, CQC has continued to refine the process around the publication of inspection reports. Processes have been developed to reduce the numbers of checks applied to each report as staff have become more familiar with the new methodology. There has been increased training and support for staff to fully embed the new inspection methodology and extensive inspector recruitment to fill staff vacancies. Reports are also subject to factual accuracy checks and rigorously quality assured prior to publication.   Other processes put in place by CQC to improve timely publication of reports include:   - The establishment of quality action groups to address any performance issues. - Provision of initial feedback to providers at the conclusion of a planned inspection with the initiation of any required enforcement action shortly afterwards. This ensures that any action can be taken by the provider without having to wait for the final report to be published. - Acceleration in the production of urgent reports for services identified as higher risk straight to National Panel for a final decision prior to publication.   The quality of the inspection and the report is CQC’s key priority and CQC will continue to refine processes where necessary to ensure continued improvements in the timeliness of the inspection report publication.

NHS: Temporary Employment

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what plans NHS England has to reduce the cost of agency staff to the NHS in England.

Alistair Burt: NHS England will be writing to clinical commissioning groups clarifying their responsibilities in respect of financial controls for agency spend which are due to be implemented from 1 July as set out in the letter from the Department of Health, a copy of which has been attached.   The Government is clear that the current rate of spending is not supporting the best positive outcome for patients. The Secretary of State has announced a comprehensive package of measures to address the problem including: - setting a maximum hourly rate for doctors and nurses; - banning the use of agencies that are not approved; - putting a cap on total agency staff spending for each National Health Service trust in financial difficulty; and - requiring specific approval for any consultancy contracts over £50,000.   Following the Francis[1] report many trusts increased their spend on temporary staffing to meet safe staffing levels. The Department expects the NHS to have a strong grip on its finances, and manage contract and agency staffing spend responsibly through effective and efficient workforce planning and management. [1] http://www.midstaffspublicinquiry.com  



DH letter - finanical controls for agency spend
(PDF Document, 143.86 KB)

Diabetes: Nurses

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether school nurses will have a role in the National Diabetes Prevention Programme.

Jane Ellison: School nurses have a role in the primary prevention of obesity in children and young people. The National Diabetes Prevention Programme is aimed at individuals at high risk of developing type 2 diabetes aged over 18, and as such school nurses will not have a role in this programme.

Health Services

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many patients have been assessed by the NHS Health Check in the last 12 months.

Jane Ellison: For the 12 months between 1 January 2014 to 31 December 2014, 1,471,926 people received an NHS Health Check. This is the latest complete data set covering 12 months.

Obesity: Surgery

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many gastric band operations the NHS has carried out in each of the last five years; what the cost to the public purse was of such operations in each of those years.

Jane Ellison: The information in the following table shows the number of finished consultant episodes (FCEs)1 with a primary diagnosis2 of obesity and a main or secondary procedure3 of stomach bypass, stomach restriction or gastric balloon for 2009-10 to 2013-144.   Table 1: Number of gastric band operations, 2009-10 to 2013-14 YearStomach bypass procedures for obesityStomach restriction procedures for obesityGastric balloon procedures52009-103,4884,93402010-114,1905,43602011-124,1515,7763572012-134,0744,8574052013-143,9723,403364   Sources: Hospital episode statistics (HES), Health and Social Care Information Centre   Notes:   1. An FCE is a continuous period of admitted patient care under one consultant within one healthcare provider. FCEs are counted against the year in which they end. Figures do not represent the number of different patients, as a person may have more than one episode of care within the same stay in hospital or in different stays in the same year.   2. The primary diagnosis is the first of up to 20 diagnosis fields in the HES data set and provides the main reason why the patient was admitted to hospital.   3. The number of episodes where the procedure (or intervention) was recorded in any of the 24 procedure fields in a HES record. A record is only included once in each count, even if the procedure is recorded in more than one procedure field of the record. Note that more procedures are carried out than episodes with a main or secondary procedure. For example, patients undergoing a cataract operation would tend to have at least two procedures – removal of the faulty lens and the fitting of a new one – counted in a single episode.   4. HES figures are available from 1989-90 onwards. Changes to the figures over time need to be interpreted in the context of improvements in data quality and coverage (particularly in earlier years), improvements in coverage of independent sector activity (particularly from 2006-07) and changes in National Health Service practice. For example, apparent reductions in activity may be due to a number of procedures which may now be undertaken in outpatient settings and so no longer include in admitted patient HES. Conversely, apparent increases in activity may be due to improved recording of diagnosis or procedure information. Note that HES include activity ending in the year in question and run from April to March, e.g. 2012-13 includes activity ending between 1 April 2012 and 31 March 2013.   5. A primary diagnosis of obesity is not required in order for a gastric balloon procedure to be carried out.   The information in the following table shows the estimated total cost of such procedures for 2011-12 to 2013-14.   Table 2: Estimated total cost of gastric band operations (£ million), 2011-12 to 2013-14  Stomach bypass procedures for obesityStomach restriction procedures for obesityGastric balloon procedures2011-1218.610.10.42012-1316.68.40.42013-1418.47.20.4   Source: Reference costs, Department of Health   Notes:   1. Reference costs are the average unit cost to NHS trusts and foundation trusts of providing defined services in a given financial year. Reference costs for acute care are collected by healthcare resource group (HRG), which are standard groupings of clinically similar treatments that consume similar levels of healthcare resource.   2. Total costs are estimated from the unit costs and activity submitted in reference costs.   3. Costs are for the following HRGs which were introduced in 2011-12 reference costs:   FZ84Z Stomach Bypass Procedures for Obesity FZ85Z Restrictive Stomach Procedures for Obesity FZ86Z Endoscopic Insertion of Gastric Balloon for Obesity   Prior to 2011-12 there were no specific HRGs associated with gastric band operations, and costs would have been reported against other HRGs.

Cannabis: Misuse

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many people have been hospitalised from the effects of consuming skunk cannabis in the UK in each of the last five years.

Jane Ellison: Data on hospital admissions due to cannabis is published in the Health and Social Care Information Centre’s annual ‘Hospital Episode Statistics, Admitted patient care – England’ report, which are available here:   http://www.hscic.gov.uk/searchcatalogue?q=title%3A%22Hospital+Episode+Statistics%2C+Admitted+patient+care+-+England%22&area=&size=10&sort=Relevance   It is important to note that within the ICD-10 coding, used to measure hospital admissions due to cannabis, does not distinguish between skunk and other forms of cannabis.   The Government is committed to reducing drug use, including skunk cannabis, and the harmful effects it has on people.

Diabetes

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many people in each age group were diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes in each of the last five years.

Jane Ellison: Information from the National Diabetes Audit (NDA) on the number of patients registered in primary care that were newly diagnosed with diabetes in the 2009-10, 2010-11, 2011-12 and 2012-13 audits is shown in the following table. Figures for 2013-14 are not yet available.   Number of people newly diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes in England and Wales Audit yearUnder 4040 to 6465 to 7980 and overTotal2009-105,9661,522323657,8762010-116,3411,567306568,2702011-126,9171,677303558,9522012-135,5381,305221487,112   It must be noted that this information is for England and Wales combined and not all practices participate. NDA 2012-2013 comprised data from nearly 6,000 practices in England and Wales and 1.9 million people with diabetes in England. The Quality Outcomes Framework states there are approximately 2.7 million people aged 17 or over with diabetes in England alone.   Due to the 15 month audit period from January to March, a patient could be classed as newly diagnosed in two audit periods, for example if the patient were diagnosed in 2012 and appeared in the 2011-12 and the 2012-13 audit they could be counted twice, once in each year.

Poultry Meat: Salmonella

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking to reduce the prevalence of salmonella in chicken sold in shops and restaurants in the UK.

Jane Ellison: The Food Standards Agency (FSA) has delivered educational campaigns to caterers and consumers on reducing the risks of Salmonella infection through good food hygiene practices. The latest figures show that the number of confirmed cases of Salmonella in the United Kingdom has reduced: there were 8,924 confirmed in 2013 compared to 9,307 in 2012, continuing a gradual downward trend since 2001. The focus of the majority of controls of Salmonella in chicken is earlier in the food chain, during primary production. This means that the risk of Salmonella is significantly reduced before chicken produced in the UK reaches shops and restaurants. The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs leads on the control of Salmonellas in broilers and laying flocks, working closely with the FSA.

Food Poisoning: Bacterial Diseases

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many cases of food poisoning have been reported from salads containing (a) salmonella and (b) bacteria in the last 12 months.

Jane Ellison: In the last 12 months, there were four outbreaks reported to Public Health England that were associated with the consumption of salad vegetables. The last reported outbreak was in October 2014.   One outbreak was caused by Salmonella and affected 17 people. Three other outbreaks were caused by bacteria other than Salmonella and affected a total of 254 people.

Cancer: Medical Treatments

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what discussions he has had with (a) the BMA and (b) other medical bodies on recent developments in treating cancer with platinum-based therapy.

Jane Ellison: There have been no discussions between my Rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Health and the British Medical Association or other medical bodies on recent developments in treating cancer with platinum-based therapy.

Obesity: Caesarean Sections

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what discussions he has had with (a) the BMA and (b) other medical bodies on the links between caesarean section births and obesity.

Ben Gummer: In the last six months, since 1 January 2015, Ministers at the Department of Health have not held any meetings with the British Medical Association (BMA) or other medical bodies to specifically discuss the links between caesarean section births and obesity.   However, Ministers meet regularly with a range of stakeholders to discuss a variety of public health and maternity issues.   In addition, a search of the Department’s Ministerial correspondence database has not identified any items of correspondence received since 1 January 2015 from the BMA or other medical bodies about the links between caesarean section births and obesity. This is a minimum figure which represents correspondence received by the Department’s Ministerial correspondence unit only.

Diabetes: Health Services

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how much the NHS spent on (a) the treatment of and (b) research on Type 1 diabetes in each of the last five years.

Jane Ellison: The National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) funds research in and for the National Health Service. The following table shows estimated NIHR expenditure on type 1 diabetes research through its research programmes, research centres and units, and research fellowships.   £ million 2010/112011/122012/132013/142014/152.11.82.92.62.7   Total spend by the NIHR on type 1 diabetes is higher than the figures shown because expenditure by the NIHR Clinical Research Network (CRN) on this disease cannot be separated from total CRN expenditure.   The information requested on treatment costs is not available. The table below shows the number of items prescribed and dispensed by the NHS on insulin and monitoring devices. However, these figures may include items and costs for a small number of patients being treated with type 2 diabetes and do not cover all the costs of treating people with type 1 diabetes.   InsulinDiagnostic and monitoring devicesYearItems (million)Net Ingredient Cost (£million)Items (million)Net Ingredient Cost (£million)2009/105.7299.25.9145.82010/115.9307.56.0152.62011/126.1314.76.1158.42012/136.2320.06.2164.52013/146.5328.36.4171.9 Source: EPACT   The primary care cost figure is Net Ingredient Cost and has been taken from the Health and Social Care Information Centre annual publication “Prescribing for Diabetes England 2005-06 to 2013-14”. This is the most recent data available. The 2014-15 data will be included in the next publication which is due to be released on 12 August 2015.   Insulin has been defined as all medicines included in the British National Formulary (BNF) under 6.1.1 Insulins. Diagnostic and monitoring devices shown are the blood glucose monitoring agents and devices, which usually allow patients to adjust their use of insulin and maintain appropriate blood glucose levels. These make up approximately 96% of all products in BNF 6.1.6.

Dementia

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many people in each age group have been diagnosed with dementia in each of the last five years in the UK.

Jane Ellison: The Department does not collect information on the number of people diagnosed with dementia by age group.

Genito-urinary Medicine: Cheshire

Christian Matheson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what discussions his Department has had with (a) Cheshire West & Chester Council, (b) Cheshire East Council and (c) East Cheshire NHS Trust on the provision of sexual health services in Cheshire in (i) 2014 and (ii) 2015 to date.

Jane Ellison: Responsibility for the provision of most sexual health services lies with local authorities.   No discussions have taken place.

Southend University Hospital: Parking

Sir David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will request a report from the Chair of the Southend University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust on how much Southend University Hospital received from car parking charges in each of the last two years and what use was made of those funds by that hospital; and if he will make a statement.

Sir David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will request a report from the Chair of the Southend University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust on how many press officers were employed by Southend University Hospital in each of the last two years and what the average cost was of employing each of those press officers; and if he will make a statement.

Sir David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what information his Department holds on how much Southend University Hospital plans to spend on employing locums in each (a) ward and (b) position in each of the next two years; and if he will make a statement.

Alistair Burt: These are operational matters for the Foundation Trust.   We have written to Alan Tobias OBE, Chair of the Southend University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust informing him of the hon. Member’s enquiry. He will reply shortly and a copy of the letter will be placed in the Library.

Southend University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust: Locums

Sir David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how much was spent by Southend University Hospital on employing locums in each (a) ward and (b) position in each month since January 2014.

Alistair Burt: Information is not available in the format requested.   Information on the total earnings of all locum doctors at Southend University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust in each month since January 2014 is shown in the attached table.   



Earnings of locum doctors at Southend NHS FT 
(Excel SpreadSheet, 12.25 KB)

Southend University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust: Complaints

Sir David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many complaints about Southend University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust have been received by his Department in each week since January 2014; what response his Department gave to each such complaint; and if he will make a statement.

Sir David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many complaints about Southend University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust have been received in the last 12 months; and if he will make a statement.

Ben Gummer: A search of the Department’s Ministerial correspondence database has identified 12 items of correspondence received since January 2014, seven of which were received since June 2014, which are identified as complaints relating to Southend University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. These complaints were received in the following weeks: - One in week commencing 7 April 2014 - One in week commencing 5 May 2014 - Two in week commencing 12 May 2014 - One in week commencing 19 May 2014 - One in week commencing 16 June 2014 - One in week commencing 30 June 2014 - One in week commencing 28 July 2014 - One in week commencing 12 January 2015 - One in week commencing 23 March 2015 - One in week commencing 11 May 2015 - One in week commencing 18 May 2015   The Department does not become involved in individual complaints about NHS services. Under Data Protection law, it is not possible to provide details of responses given.

Southend University Hospital: Parking

Sir David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what (a) recent discussions he has had and (b) discussions he plans to have with Southend University Hospital about its policy towards car parking charges; and if he will make a statement.

Sir David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what recent estimate he has made of the level of income received by Southend University Hospital from car parking operations; and if he will make a statement.

Alistair Burt: No discussions are planned or have taken place between the Department’s Ministers and officials and Southend University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust about car parking operations.   The Department has also made no assessment of the level of income Southend University Hospital has received from car parking operations. Decisions on hospital car parking, including charging, are taken locally by National Health Service foundation trusts and NHS trusts. We published the NHS patient, visitor and staff car parking principles on 23 August 2014, which set out a nationally consistent approach for hospitals to take to car parking. The principles are available at:   https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/nhs-patient-visitor-and-staff-car-parking-principles   To help NHS organisations deliver the above principles we later published NHS Car Parking Management: Environment and Sustainability (HTM 07-03) on 25 March 2015. This guidance is available at:   https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/nhs-car-parking-management-htm-07-03

Southend University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust: Incentives

Sir David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what (a) recent discussions he has had and (b) discussions he plans to have with Southend University Hospital about its policy on the payment of bonuses to senior managers; and if he will make a statement.

Alistair Burt: No discussions are planned or have taken place between the Department’s Ministers and officials and Southend University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust about its policy on the payment of bonuses to senior managers at Southend.   National Health Service trusts and NHS foundation trusts set rates of pay and terms of conditions for their chief executives and executive directors, including the payment of performance-related bonuses, on the advice of their own independent remuneration committees.   However on 2 June 2015 my Rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State wrote to the Chairs of all NHS trusts, foundation trusts and clinical commissioning groups strongly urging restraint over executive pay.

Southend University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust: Training

Sir David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what (a) recent discussions he has had and (b) discussions he plans to have with Southend University Hospital about its policy on away days for senior management; and if he will make a statement.

Ben Gummer: No discussions are planned or have taken place between the Department’s Ministers and officials and Southend University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust about its policy on away days for senior management.

Health Services: Weather

Mr Virendra Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what contingency plans his Department has to respond to a (a) heatwave and (b) cold snap in (i) London North West Healthcare NHS Trust area and (ii) the NHS England area.

Jane Ellison: The annual Heatwave and Cold Weather Plans for England are co-ordinated by Public Health England on behalf of the health and social care system. NHS England, the Local Government Association and other stakeholders support the development and dissemination of the Plans, which are underpinned by dedicated Meteorological Office alerts. These Plans form a central part of the Department’s support in raising both public and professional awareness of the health impacts of severe heat and cold weather. A copy of each Plan has been attached.   In May and October each year respectively, the Heatwave and Cold Weather Plans are sent to all providers and commissioners of health and social care in England, with a covering letter setting out a series of recommended steps to be taken throughout the year, to reduce the harm to health from hot and cold weather. The Plans are also supported by a number of additional guides and leaflets.   In terms of the London North West Healthcare NHS Trust area, each organisation receives the Heatwave and Cold Weather Plans and covering letters, and local plans are set in place for the regional response by NHS England (London). These are incorporated into a trust/provider-specific plan to respond in the event of any severe weather and are linked to local borough response plans.   These local National Health Service plans are assured and updated every year as part of the wider NHS Emergency Preparedness, Resilience and Response assurance process, and trusts and partner organisations are encouraged to test and exercise these plans regularly. The London North West Healthcare NHS Trust took part in a North West London-wide heatwave exercise in April 2015, which tested the whole system response to a heatwave. 



Cold Weather Plan for England 2014
(PDF Document, 1.94 MB)




Heatwave Plan for England May 2015
(PDF Document, 1.2 MB)

Childbirth: Ealing

Mr Virendra Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking to manage an increase in the birth rate in Ealing Local Authority Area.

Ben Gummer: We are advised that the Office for National Statistics projects no significant change to the birth rate in Ealing over the next five years.   Health Education England (HEE) has set out how it intends to invest £5 billion in education and training programmes in its Workforce Plan for England. This investment will help improve the quality of care by ensuring that the National Health Service workforce has the right numbers, skills, values and behaviours to meet the needs of patients.   HEE is commissioning more education and training than ever before, with over 50,000 doctors in training and over 37,000 new training opportunities for nurses, scientists, and therapists.

Ambulance Services: Vehicles

Alison McGovern: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many ambulance vehicles there were in the UK in each of the last five years.

Jane Ellison: Ambulance services are a devolved matter and are the responsibility of the devolved administrations.   For England, this information is not collected centrally.

Viral Diseases

Michael Fabricant: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what comparative research his Department has made on the incidence of Hepatitis B and HIV infection in the population of (a) men who have sex with men (MSM) and (b) the MSM population in civil partnerships or same sex marriages; what assessment his Department has made on this incidence in respect of the safety of blood donation; and if he will make a statement.

Jane Ellison: No such comparative research has been undertaken. Public Health England does not collect data on whether an individual is in a same sex relationship or a civil partnership as part of the routine surveillance of acute hepatitis B or HIV, nor as part of routine surveillance in blood donors.

Abortion: Costs

Ian Paisley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what recent estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse of NHS abortion services from May 2010 to April 2015.

Jane Ellison: Information about expenditure on termination of pregnancy services is not collected centrally.

Muscular Dystrophy: Medical Treatments

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what discussions he has had with his counterparts in the devolved assemblies on (a) future decisions on the availability and (b) consistency of provision by area of drugs and treatment for Duchenne muscular dystrophy.

Jane Ellison: No meetings have taken place between the Ministers of the Department and their counterparts in the devolved Assemblies to discuss drugs and treatments for Duchenne muscular dystrophy.

Southend University Hospital: Accident and Emergency Departments

Sir David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what recent (a) discussions he has held and (b) representations he has received concerning Southend University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust's performance on A&E waiting times; and if he will make a statement.

Jane Ellison: A search by the Department’s Ministerial private offices and of the Ministerial correspondence database shows no discussions have been held, nor representations received in the past six months about Southend University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust's performance on accident and emergency waiting times.

Cancer: Radiotherapy

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what proportion of cancer patients received (a) intensity modulated and (b) stereotactic radiotherapy in the latest month for which figures are available.

Jane Ellison: NHS England monitors the progress in achieving the following standard:   - A minimum 24% of patients requiring radical radiotherapy have access to inverse planned Intensity Modulated Radiotherapy (IMRT).   NHS England monitors this standard as a three month rolling average. The latest data shows that 6,397 patients received IMRT during the period from December 2014 to February 2015, a proportion of 37% of patients requiring radical radiotherapy.   NHS England does not hold data centrally relating to the proportion of cancer patients receiving stereotactic radiotherapy.

Mesothelioma: Research

Mr Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of the finance for research into mesothelioma; and if he will make a statement.

George Freeman: The Department’s National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) has invited researchers to apply for mesothelioma research funding, in particular to address the research questions identified through the Mesothelioma Priority Setting Partnership and published in December 2014. Eight NIHR programmes are participating in this themed call. Four funding applications for research specifically in mesothelioma are currently under review. The call under the Health Technology Assessment programme closes on 3 September 2015.